The new board members were elected during the Shareholders’ Ordinary General Meeting (AGO).| Photo: Antonio Lacerda/EFE.

The federal government managed to elect three names that had been rejected to compose Petrobras’ Board of Directors. During the Ordinary General Meeting (AGO) of the state-owned company’s shareholders, held this Thursday (27), eight new members were elected to the collegiate.

Among those approved are the secretaries of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Pietro Mendes and Efrain Cruz, and PSB leader Sergio Rezende, who were considered ineligible by Petrobras’ governance for not meeting the criteria set out in the State-Owned Companies Law. They were appointed by the government, the company’s controlling shareholder.

In a note, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, said that the election of new directors is “sovereign of the shareholders” and “should be celebrated, as it elects a new composition that will guarantee balance to Petrobras”. The minister stressed that the opinion of the legal consultancy of the MME, a body that is part of the Attorney General’s Office, “was fundamental to resolve any legal obstacle and reinforce the total legality of the indications presented by the Government”.

For Silveira, “all nominees have recognized competence and the necessary experience to carry out the functions for which they were elected”. The board now comprises: Pietro Adamo Sampaio Mendes, president of the collegiate; Jean Paul Prates, president of the state-owned company; Efrain Cruz; Sergio Rezende; Victor Saback; Bruno Moretti; José João Abdalla, nominated by the minority shareholders; and Marcelo Gasparino, nominated by the minority shareholders.