Pires is currently the founding director of the Brazilian Infrastructure Center, a consultancy that claims to be one of the country’s 100 most influential in the energy sector and a reference in the infrastructure sector.
His appointment was officially made on March 28 when the Ministry of Mines and Energy issued a memo naming Pires as head of the mixed-use company.
But in a document dated three days later, Deputy Attorney General Lucas Rocha asked the Union Comptroller General to investigate a conflict of interest in Pires’ appointment to his long and relevant stint in private industry.
In the text, he also questioned the evidence of Bolsonaro’s interference in Petrobras.
“If the President of the Republic intends to change this price policy with the change of direction of the state-owned company, this will be a clear violation of the provisions of the aforementioned law,” he explained.
Which, he added, “is expressly forbidden to the controlling shareholder, in this case the union, by the exclusive will of the ruler of the nation.”
Rocha warned that the first unlawful undesirable situation could be described as direct interference with the company.
Bolsonaro is “a candidate for re-election because he is sure that the constant increase in oil derivatives prices – as has happened recently – does not favor the good popularity ratings of the ruler who is currently occupying the presidential palace,” he stressed.
At the time of Pires’ appointment, the Ministry of Mines and Energy also appointed Rodolfo Landim as chairman of the council.
Landim, the leader of Flamengo football club, sent a message to Minister Bento Albuquerque (Mining and Energy) on Saturday, thanking him for the vote of confidence, but declined the invitation.
He explained that his involvement with Flamengo has become a priority in his professional life.
After a series of increases in the value of fuel, Bolsonaro decided on March 28 to change command of Petrobras and sack General Joaquim Silva e Luna.
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