The leadership of the Ministry of Economy is betting on the work of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) to increase pressure on the current management of Petrobras, under the command of General Joaquim Silva e Luna.
Members of the folder told the CNN, in a reserved character, that possible consequences of an investigation in the Council into alleged abuse of the state-owned company in the fuel market may force the general’s departure from the post. Minister Paulo Guedes himself, according to reports, supports this assessment.
as showed the CNN This Sunday (13), the pressure of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) on Petrobras, with a high tone of criticism of the fuel readjustment, is seen within the government as a strategy for Silva e Luna to ask to leave the command of the company.
The assessment within the Economy is that, even if Cade does not have an incisive action on Petrobras’ price policy, a manifestation of the body would be enough to give even more strength to the hostile environment in relation to Silva and Luna.
The process at Cade was opened in January and still has a long way to go. According to members of the municipality heard by the CNNa final decision should only come in a few months.
But members of CADE who are aware of the investigation say that new investigations should come soon, indicating a deepening of the investigation, with decisions to officiate the market and disclosure of opinions, for example. These are actions that will indicate that Cade sees elements to move forward and that it is on top of the case, explains a member of the board.
Cade does not have the power —and does not intend to—set prices or limit Petrobras’ profits. But, as it has to defend competition and the consumer, it is looking into whether Petrobras has abused its dominant position.
The company is virtually a monopolist in the refining sector, with more than 70% of the market. The idea is to see if the increases were abusive, unduly subtracting consumer income. If the conclusion is that the company abused, the oil company will receive a fine and will still have to deal with public exposure of the problem.
Members of Cade see the chances that the autarchy will issue an injunction on the case as more remote. But they understand that new actions will make it clear that the board is on the subject and concerned with ensuring the smooth functioning of the market.
Source: CNN Brasil
