President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva instructed the new Minister of Justice, Wellington César Lima e Silva, to focus his administration on combating criminal factions. In a meeting that appointed Petrobras’ General Counsel as the new Minister of Justice, Lula also asked that the new assistant lead the negotiation of the Security PEC with the National Congress. Wellington César Lima e Silva was announced as the holder of the portfolio this Tuesday after meeting with Lula at Palácio do Planalto.
In the conversation, Lula also stated that the Ministry of Justice will only be dismembered, with the creation of the Ministry of Security, after approval of the PEC and when the department has a guaranteed budget.
The president stressed to the new minister that there is no point in creating the ministry without competence, its own structure and resources. In this scenario, Wellington already takes over the Ministry of Justice knowing that his portfolio could be divided later this year, if this scenario is confirmed.
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Approving the Security PEC will be one of Wellington’s most difficult missions. The text gives the federal government more power in managing public security, but it underwent relevant changes at the hands of the rapporteur, federal deputy Mendonça Filho (União-PE).
Allies of the new minister claim that Wellington has a cordial and diplomatic profile and will have the ability to negotiate with Congress.
This Wednesday, Wellington began the transition at the Ministry of Justice with a meeting with the executive secretary of Ricardo Lewandowski’s administration, Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto.
In the conversation, the new minister received a series of reports with the diagnosis of each of the ministry’s secretariats: Justice (Senajus), Consumer (Senacon), Drug Policies (Senad), Public Security (Senasp), Penal Policies (Senappen), Legislative Affairs (SAL), Access to Justice (Saju), and Digital Rights (Sedigi).
Wellington also received a compilation of important information from the Federal Police (PF), Federal Highway Police (PRF) and the National Force and was made aware of the situation of the department’s four funds: National Public Security Fund (FNSP), the National Penitentiary Fund (FUNPEN), the National Anti-Drug Fund (FUNAD) and the Fund for the Defense of Diffuse Rights (FDD).
Wellington is expected to take office by Friday or early next week. The minister has made the transition accompanied by just one advisor and still has no confirmed names on the team. The current secretaries of the Ministry of Justice were also not called to talk by the new minister. Wellington’s allies say he should focus on the transition until the date of inauguration and that he should not make changes to the team until then.
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Appointed by Lula to the Federal Supreme Court, the Union’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, has given support and advice to Wellington at the beginning of his administration. The two are close and Messias was one of the names that defended Wellington’s move to the Ministry of Justice.
