Senator calls on CVM to veto political appointments at Petrobras

Senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE) called the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) this Tuesday (24) requesting the suspension of political appointments at Petrobras after the state-owned company’s board promoted changes to the statute. The CVM is responsible for regulating the capital market.

“The changes to Petrobras’ statute approved by its board reduce transparency and put Brazilians’ assets at risk, especially with the release of political appointments for strategic positions. I asked the CVM to investigate the facts and suspend these appointments”, said the senator in the social network.

In March of this year, then minister Ricardo Lewandowski, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), suspended the effects of a rule in the State Law that restricted political appointments. Vieira asked the CVM to veto appointments in the company made outside the legislation until the Court’s plenary judge Lewandowski’s decision, reported the column Malu Gasparin the newspaper The globe.

In the request to the CVM, Vieira cited the attempt by the state-owned company’s leadership and advisors appointed by the Lula government to postpone the disclosure of statutory changes that facilitate political appointments. After strong pressure from minority directors, communication to the market on the topic was approved last Friday (20), but only took place on Monday (23).

“In addition to the undue appointment of advisors of this nature, the Petrobras Board could not, once the decision was taken, have decided not to publicize a fact of such relevance on the same day [20 de outubro]opting for an omission with serious and harmful effects on minority partners”, argued the parliamentarian.

The Petrobras leadership considered that the restrictions no longer needed to be included in the statute as they had been overturned by Lewandowski’s injunction. However, Vieira argued with the CVM that Petrobras could not make changes to its statutes before the STF’s definitive statement on the topic. The Court has not yet set a date to analyze the minister’s monocratic decision.