Lula appoints a coordinator for the Climate Forum who was accused of corruption

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) appointed this Tuesday (4th) Sérgio Xavier to assume the position of executive coordinator of the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change. The nomination was published in the Official Gazette of the Union.

Xavier was Pernambuco’s Environment Secretary between 2014 and 2016 in the government of Paulo Câmara, current president of Banco do Nordeste (BNB), and was a defendant in a lawsuit that investigated the embezzlement of money in agreements signed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sesi with non-profit entities and companies to promote cultural events in the Relix Alagoas 2016 project.

According to an investigation by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) in Operation Fantoche, launched by the Federal Police in February 2019, the diversion of funds reached BRL 2.5 million.

At the time, Xavier issued a note claiming that he was not a partner in the company that was investigated in the case.

The investigations were initiated based on a report by the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) and the Federal Comptroller General (CGU), which indicated the use of shell companies and payments for services not performed for the diversion.

At the time, Xavier was appointed as the articulator for the implementation of Relix in Pernambuco, having been responsible for presenting the project to Sesi.
According to the MPF, it was found that a company controlled by the former secretary – SX Brasil Comunicação Digital Ltda. – was subcontracted by Aliança Comunicação e Cultura for the development of the Relix application, which the investigations indicated had been carried out by another company.

The body also stated that the former secretary would have received R$ 194,000, which led to the complaint in 2021.

In 2022, the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) ordered the action against Xavier to be suspended.