Jorge Viana, former senator and former governor of Acre, is removed from the presidency of ApexBrasil.| Photo: Disclosure / CEBRI

The Attorney General’s Office filed an appeal, this Wednesday night (24), against the decision of the Federal Court of Brasília that annulled Jorge Viana’s inauguration as president of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) in the last second (22).

In the request, the AGU explains that Jorge Viana fulfilled the requirements to occupy the position even before the validity of the resolution suspended by the court decision. According to the body, ApexBrasil’s statute established, in addition to proven fluency in English, international experience for a minimum period of one year or professional experience in Brazil, of at least two years, which required knowledge and use of the language.

The AGU further alleges that Jorge Viana was a member of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Federal Senate for more than seven years and that, throughout his mandate, he participated in 29 missions abroad, including numerous participations as a representative of the Brazilian Parliament in United Nations conferences.

The government agency also claimed that the removal “puts at risk the strategic planning, institutional representation and management of the promotion of Brazilian exports”. Jorge Viana’s removal was determined by Judge Diana Vanderlei in response to a request from Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), who claimed that he is not fluent in English.