News / Brazil

Brazil president names predecessor as new chief of staff

Wednesday, 16 March 2016 6:57 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 16 March 2016 6:55 PM ]

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has named her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as her new chief of staff, the presidential office says.

On Wednesday, a statement from Brazil’s presidential office said “ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will assume the post of chief minister of state for the Casa Civil."

The new chief of staff, who is also the president’s political mentor, is to replace Jaques Wagner, a former governor who currently holds the post.

Some opponents of Rousseff say the move is an attempt to prevent Lula, who ruled from 2003 to 2011, from being detained in connection with a massive corruption investigation centered on state oil company, Petrobras.

Lula is charged with accepting a luxury apartment from a company involved in the oil scandal as a bribe.

Lula's current vulnerability comes despite his previous popularity as he led the country through an economic boom when he stepped down in 2011 and handed the office to Rousseff.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff delivers a speech at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on February 2, 2016. (AFP photo)

Rousseff is also facing threats of impeachment, mass protests, and a deep recession.

The Brazilian president has not yet faced any charges in the scandal, which has become known as the Petrobras scheme.

Under the alleged scheme, construction companies conspired with Petrobras executives to overcharge the oil giant as much as two billion dollars, some of which was paid out as bribes to politicians and political parties.

Rousseff is also separately accused of having doctored government accounts in 2014 in order to increase public spending as a means of wooing votes for reelection.

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