Bolsonaro insists on Petrobras CPI, and Congress begins to collect signatures

Despite resistance from part of the allied base in the Chamber, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) insists on the installation of a CPI to investigate Petrobras and the increases in fuel adopted by the state-owned company.

The Chief Executive told supporters this Monday (20) that he is in favor of investigating the conduct of the oil company’s leaders, even though he was responsible for appointing them to the post.

“I’m arranging a CPI at Petrobras. ‘Oh, you appointed the president’. Yes, but I want a CPI, hey, why not? Investigate the guy, man. If nothing comes of it, fine. Petrobras are an abuse,” he said in a conversation with supporters published on a Bolsonarista channel on the internet.

Shortly before, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), had stated that the leader of the PL, the president’s party, is collecting signatures to try to open a parliamentary commission of inquiry to investigate Petrobras.

Lira also called on the federal government and the Ministry of Economy to be more directly involved in the discussions. He asked, for example, that the government resolve some infra-constitutional issues through provisional measures that amend, for example, the State-owned Companies Law, and that have immediate application, instead of waiting for the processing of bills.

“There is an almost unanimous feeling, if you don’t want to say unanimous, on the part of all the leaders who participated in this meeting, that the Ministry of Economy, the federal government has to be directly involved in these discussions, participate more closely in these discussions and act more closely in these discussions,” he said.

“For example, instead of formatting a PEC, in matters that are constitutional, or bills, in matters that are infra-constitutional, in infra-constitutional matters, so that they can be resolved more quickly through provisional measures”, he added. .

The deputy received for a few hours since the end of the afternoon the leaders of the main benches of the Chamber, to discuss the possibility of a CPI (Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry) to investigate the directors of Petrobras. They also spoke of the offensive against the state-owned company, in an attempt to hold the readjustments and curb profits and dividend payments to shareholders.

The president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) was also present at the meeting. According to interlocutors, the Minas Gerais senator defended to the leaders the proposal to create a stabilization account to cushion the impact of fluctuations in fuel prices. One of the sources of funds would be precisely the payment of dividends from Petrobras.

Lira and President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) have been waging a war against Petrobras since late last week when the state-owned company’s board rejected the government’s request to withhold readjustments on diesel and gasoline.

Bolsonaro even said last week that he was articulating the installation of the commission to investigate the directors of the state-owned company.

“Leader Altineu [Côrtes, PL-RJ] ]has already submitted a request for a CPI, by the Liberal Party. The parties are each convinced, leaders will talk to their deputies to support or not this request. And the CPI is lawful and normal for the formatting made by any deputy or any party”, said the deputy.

The president of the Chamber of Deputies also stated that he will continue to discuss with Rodrigo Pacheco the scope of PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) 16, which provides for billionaire transfers to states that agree to zero their fuel rates.

One of the points of discussion is to fit in this PEC or in another proposal measures to mitigate categories directly impacted by the increase in fuel prices. Lira specifically cited a voucher for truck drivers, gas vouchers, among others.

​Earlier, Lira said that there are no “winners, nor losers” in recent episodes involving the state-owned company. On a social network, Lira said that there is nothing to “celebrate in recent events involving Petrobras.” “There are no winners, no losers. There is only the drama of the people, the vulnerable and the urgency of the fuel issue,” she wrote.

“The time is for everyone to be humble, it is time for everyone to think of everyone and everyone to think of each one”, he continued. “Intransigence is not the best way. But we will not admit it. Greed is not above the Brazilian people.”

The president of Petrobras resigned this Monday morning, after the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) intensified pressure on the executive over the weekend.

Last Wednesday (15), Congress concluded the vote on a bill that establishes a ceiling for ICMS rates on fuels, one of the measures to try to contain the escalation of prices and to reduce the wear and tear of the issue on President Jair Bolsonaro. less than four months before the elections.

This Monday, the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission) of the Chamber voted on the admissibility of the PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) that seeks to maintain a favored regime for biofuels.

Also on Monday (30), opposition to the government in the Senate met to discuss the next steps regarding fuel prices. The PT evaluated that the request to create a CPI was a “trial balloon” to force the fall of the president of Petrobras.

However, the senators claim that, if it is actually installed, they will work to investigate much more than the misdeeds and point out the “misdeeds of this government in the management of Petrobras that only privileges shareholders and forgets the main reason for the existence of a company that is the consumer”, says, in a note, the minority leader Jean Paul Prates (PT-RN)