Petrobras president is messing and we’re going to the dick, says Lira

The president of the Chamber, deputy Arthur Lira (PP-AL), told the Sheet that “goes to the dick” to “review all prices” of fuel. He also defended the resignation of the president of Petrobras, José Mauro Ferreira Coelho, and said that he will work to tax the oil company’s profit.

Later, in an interview with Globo News, Lira defended Petrobras’ “taxation of absurd profits”. He did not elaborate on the proposal to tax gains, but other countries have discussed taxing the extraordinary profit of oil companies arising from the international increase in fuel prices.

“I called Zé Mauro [presidente da Petrobras] yesterday [quinta, 16]. I asked him not to give a raise, [disse]: ‘you are working against, what is expected of Petrobras is something else’; and I said I was going to do a job to fire him, I’m going to propose with the government to tax Petrobras’ profits. He [respondeu]: ‘not quite, is the advice [de administração]I’m not postponing my departure,'” said Lira.

Lira also stated that José Mauro “is messing around” and that an increase of the type “is absurd”.

“We will see legislatively what we can do to review pricing policies, PPI [Preço de Paridade Internacional] and go up, surcharge and go straight to the vein”, he said.

Petrobras announced this Friday (17) readjustments of 5.2% in the price of gasoline and 14.2% in the price of diesel, claiming that the oil market has undergone structural change and that it is necessary to seek convergence with prices international.

After 99 days without increases, the average price of gasoline at the state-owned refineries will rise from R$3.86 to R$4.06 per liter. The price of diesel will go from R$ 4.91 to R$ 5.61 per liter. The last adjustment occurred 39 days ago.

On social media, Lira said after the adjustment that José Mauro works against Brazil and defended his resignation.

“The president of Petrobras has to resign immediately. Not because of my personal will, but because he does not represent the company’s majority shareholder — Brazil — and, worse, systematically works against the Brazilian people in the country’s worst crisis,” Lira wrote on Twitter. .

Lira also said that the president of Petrobras only represents himself and what he does will leave a legacy of destruction for the company. “Get out! Because your management is an act of corporate terrorism,” she added.

On Thursday (16), the company’s board of directors rejected the government’s request to avoid readjustments, arguing that the definition of prices is the responsibility of the executive board. The meeting had been convened at the request of the Chief of Staff, Ciro Nogueira.

The meeting was a last gambit by the government to try to avoid the increase amid the effort to approve a package of measures to try to reduce prices, which, according to President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), could lower gasoline and diesel prices in R$2 and R$1 per liter, respectively.

President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) resumed, this Friday morning (17), criticism of Petrobras and said that the company “could plunge Brazil into chaos”.

“The federal government, as a shareholder, is against any readjustment in fuels, not only because of Petrobras’ exaggerated profit in the midst of the global crisis, but also because of the public interest provided for in the State-Owned Companies Law”, wrote Bolsonaro on his social media.

“Petrobras can plunge Brazil into chaos. Its president, directors and advisers are well aware of what happened with the truckers’ strike in 2018, and the disastrous consequences for Brazil’s economy and the lives of our people.”

Even on Thursday night, Bolsonaro had already fired criticism against Petrobras.

During his weekly live, Bolsonaro said that a new adjustment by the oil company in the price of fuel would have “political interest to reach the federal government”.