Guedes: There was an informal conversation in the government about privatization of Petrobras

Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said this Thursday (11) that there was an informal conversation in the government about the privatization of Petrobras, citing the idea that the oil company’s shares held by the National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES) would go to a poverty eradication fund.

“A development bank carrying Petrobras shares, this is just to fatten up the portfolio and we pay a good administration fee for those who are working in the public bank”, said the minister, while participating in the Itaú Macro Vision conference, organized by Itaú Unibanco.

He again mentioned the idea of ​​taking the state-owned company to the Novo Mercado segment on the stock exchange, arguing that this would make the company’s shares appreciate.

“Put in a poverty eradication fund that already exists and is there, put some Petrobras shares in there, which the BNDES has, for example. It says that you go to the Novo Mercado, you create in three, four weeks 150 billion (BRL) of new wealth that did not exist simply through arbitration to move from public management to private management,” he said.

“When you make a move like this, you create value”, he defended.

The day before, President Jair Bolsonaro spoke again about the privatization of Petrobras, calling the oil company a “monstrengo” which, according to him, works so that its shareholders do not take losses.

Earlier this month, Petrobras reported that the Ministry of Economy had sent a communication to the company stating that there were no studies for the privatization of the company, after Bolsonaro had made several statements on the matter.