The president of Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates, stated that, at no time, did he feel threatened in his position or received a request from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to lower the price of fuel.
“The president has never, since I’ve been in this position, asked me to lower or increase fuel prices,” said Prates.
“This is very important to be clear, because the president is aware of this role. He cannot, or at least it would not be effective, to go directly to the president of Petrobras and say this. This movement does not exist.”
The statement was made this Friday (24), in Rio de Janeiro, at a meeting with journalists to detail the company’s strategic investment plan for the next five years.
Pricing policy
Prates praised the change in the company’s pricing policy which, in May this year, abandoned the import parity price (PPI), implemented in 2016, during the Michel Temer government. With the PPI, fuel prices were directly correlated to the ups and downs of the cost of a barrel of oil on the global market.
“We are no longer in the period of the PPI dictatorship. We are no longer adjusting prices in real time and in dollars, according to import parity. This is a common practice for a country that imports 100% of its oil,” he said.
“Which also doesn’t mean – and no one ever promised this in any campaign, least of all President Lula – that the price would only fall. What was committed was to Brazilianize prices, and we did that. We brought national factors to the components into the pricing policy, which are even part of our structure, which is to produce in Brazil. This factor makes a difference for us to be able to make adjustments to levels. This gives stability to the market”, he highlighted.
However, Prates confirmed that he is talking to President Lula about the scenario and behavior of international prices. “Every two weeks I go to Brasília and talk, and I think that’s necessary. [O governo] is the majority shareholder of the company.”
The price of fuel has been an issue that involves other members of the government. Last Friday (17), the Minister of Mines and Energy (MME), Alexandre Silveira, reproduced on the social network X (formerly Twitter) an interview in which he defended a drop in prices.
“I made this statement to the Civil House. It is important, respecting Petrobras’ governance, respecting its legal nature. But it’s time to pull Petrobras’ ear again, so that it can come back to the table and be able to state it clearly”, wrote the minister.
Meeting in Brasilia
The president of Petrobras also stated that there was no intervention by President Lula in the final preparation of the company’s strategic plan, which foresees investments of US$102 billion, the equivalent of R$500 billion.
He explained that his meeting with President Lula and ministers on Tuesday (21) and Wednesday (22), in Brasília, was at his request, Prates, who presented “the concepts” of the strategic plan.
The CEO of Petrobras said that, at no time, did he feel threatened in his position. “We have to have the courage to be here, we have to face rumors, slander, thoughts, even friendly fire, we have to face everything. We are here to govern Petrobras, appointed directly by President Lula”, stated Prates, adding that, this year, the company reached several operating and share price records. “I don’t feel threatened at all,” he concluded.
