Federal Judge Orders Elon Musk To Witness Again In SEC Investigation Of Twitter Takeover

A federal judge ordered Elon Musk to testify again in an investigation by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding his 44 billion US dollars (Rp687.5 trillion) takeover against Twitter, giving the regulator and billionaire a week to approve the date and location of the interview.

Judge Majidrettek Beeler's order, issued on Saturday evening 10 February, formalized the interim decision he made in December in favor of regulators.

The SEC sued Musk in October to force the Tesla CEO and SpaceX to testify as part of an investigation into his Twitter purchase in 2022, the social media giant which was later renamed X. According to the SEC, Musk refused to attend an interview in September which was part of an investigation.

The agency is examining whether Musk followed the law when filing the necessary documents about his purchase of Twitter shares, and whether his statement regarding the deal was misleading.

Musk fought the SEC's attempt to interview him, said it had been done twice, and accused the regulator of harassment.

Beeler rejected the argument. The SEC has the authority to issue an attendance warrant, seeking relevant information, he said in the ruling.

If the SEC and Musk could not approve the date and time for the interview, Beeler said he would hear from both sides and decide for them.

Friksi antara Musk dan SEC dimulai ketika regulator tersebut menggugatnya setelah dia mengutweet "pendanaan berjamin" pada tahun 2018 terkait rencana kemungkinan untuk menjadi Tesla swasta. Untuk menyelesaikan kasus tersebut, Musk setuju bahwa seorang pengacara Tesla akan memeriksa tweet-tweetnya tentang pembuat mobil listrik tersebut. SEC menggugatnya lagi pada tahun 2019 karena dugaan melanggar ketentuan tersebut.

Musk has asked the US Supreme Court to review the agreement, saying it violates his constitutional right to speak freely.