X might have paid $5.2 million to the wrong bank in Brazil
Moraes has maintained that X's ban would remain until the company paid its fines in the right places.
X has been tirelessly working to get its ban lifted in Brazil. The company has finally complied with court orders to block specific accounts and establish legal representation in the country.
It also claims to have paid the fines of just over $5.2 million issued by the Brazilian Supreme Court, but reports state that the company's troubles might be far from over as there are claims it paid into the rough bank.
In a Friday filing by the court, it was revealed that the back-and-forth between X and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes continued, despite X's cooperation. After X believed it had done all that was expected of it, following all court orders, it filed a request to have its ban lifted.
But, Moraes responded, requesting payment of fines to the right bank. Of note, the Court Justice had stated that after the fine is paid, the opinion of Brazil's prosecutor general would need to be considered before the ban can be lifted.
X, however, responded by seeking authorisation to operate again, denying it had paid to the wrong bank. The company's lawyers also said they do not see the reason for the opinion of the prosecutor general before they can be allowed to operate.
However, Moraes maintained that its ban would remain until the company paid its fines in the right places.
The fine in question is the combination of an initial $3.4 million fine initially ordered by the court when the platform was first banned in Brazil and a $1.8 million fine for when the platform became available briefly for Brazilians.
While X grapples with legal challenges in Brazil, its absence has created opportunities for competitors in the social media landscape. One such beneficiary has been Bluesky, a rival platform that has seen significant growth since X's ban.
According to Bluesky, the company saw 500,000 new users just two days after X's ban. Since then, Bluesky has continued to implement new features, further capitalizing on the void left by X's absence in Brazil.
Emmanuel Oyedeji
