The Brazilian government nominated for the presidency of the state-owned Petrobras Joseph Mauro Coelhoformer secretary of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, after a first candidate declined the offer this week, reported this Wednesday in an official note.
The list of candidates proposed by the controlling shareholder (the State) to integrate the board of Petrobras appoints “José Mauro Ferreira Coelho to exercise the Presidency of the Company,” the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) said in a statement.
The Brazilian economist Adriano Pires He gave up on Monday to take the reins of the oil company due to the impossibility of quickly disassociating himself from his private activity as an energy consultant, incompatible with the function.
Since then, the government hastened the search for candidates to succeed Joaquim Silva e Luna, whom Bolsonaro decided to withdraw after the oil company applied several increases in fuel.
Graduated in Industrial Chemistry and with more than 25 years of experience in the sector, Coelho served between April 2020 and October 2021 as Secretary of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels, in the orbit of the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Currently, he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pré-Sal Petróleo (PPSA), a public company linked to the MME.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy also nominated Marcio Andrade Weber for the presidency of the Board of Directors of Petrobras, a position also rejected by another initially chosen by the Jair Bolsonaro administration.
In this case, it was Rodolfo Landim, with experience at the state oil company for more than two decades and president of the Flamengo soccer club, who made his decision to decline the invitation public on Sunday.
Both Coelho’s and Weber’s appointments must be approved at the general shareholders’ meeting, to be held on Wednesday, April 13.
“The Government renews its commitment to respect the solid governance of Petrobras, maintaining compliance with the regulatory and legal precepts that govern the Company,” adds the statement from Mines and Energy.
Petrobras has been the target of constant criticism from Bolsonaro due to its constant adjustments in fuel prices, in accordance with its policy of monitoring international oil prices.
Fuels have fueled an incessant inflation that reduces the popularity of the president, focused on his race for re-election in October. Until February, fuels accumulated a rise of 33% in 12 months, according to official data.