Brazil's government on Tuesday announced the dismissal of Petrobras president Jean-Paul Prates amid tensions over the state oil company's dividend payments to shareholders.
A presidential spokesperson said Prates, a former state senator and ally of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had been “removed.”
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Brazil's government on Tuesday announced the dismissal of Petrobras president Jean-Paul Prates amid tensions over the state oil company's dividend payments to shareholders.
A presidential spokesperson said Prates, a former state senator and ally of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had been “removed.”
Prates, a lawyer and economist, was appointed to Petrobras' board in January last year, shortly after the new leftist Lula government took office.
He was previously a senator for the state of Rio Grande do Norte and a member of the Labor Party of Lula.
In nominating Prates to this position, Lula described him as an energy sector specialist with 30 years of experience in the oil, natural gas, biofuels and renewable energy sectors.
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He has come under fire after Petrobras decided not to pay investors a special dividend in March, which some analysts and opponents see as government interference.
Petrobras confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it had received a request for a board meeting regarding the early termination of Mr. Prates' role.
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