Brazi's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The leftist leader will ask Prates why shareholders of Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, were counting on the payment of extraordinary dividends even after he made it clear he wishes to invest oil profits into projects that can create jobs, one of the officials said. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are not public.
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Lula wasn’t happy about Prates’s decision to abstain from voting against the dividends proposal, which was eventually rejected by a majority of board members appointed by the government, the official said. He was even less happy about the chief executive’s failure to bring a discussion about fuel prices to the company’s board, the person added. Since the presidential campaign, the leftist leader has said Petrobras shouldn’t be tracking international prices, but should take into account its domestic costs into its pricing policy.
Lula’s office didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
With his popularity dropping in opinion polls released last week, Lula is demanding that his ministers come up with a list of investment projects that can be accelerated to boost the economy. He considers Petrobras as a key part of his plan, and wants Prates to be on board, one of the officials said.
Another official said Prates intends to present an investment plan in the naval industry during the meeting.