Lula party official changes statutes of ‘his’ agency to remain in top position despite not meeting requirements

The current president of the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and former senator (PT-AC), Jorge Viana, changed the agency’s statute to eliminate the requirement of fluent English to occupy the post.

The entity’s role is to publicize Brazilian products abroad.

The previous statute required a proficiency certificate or a certificate of completion of an Advanced Level English course.

With the change, it now says that “preferably” the president and directors “should have fluency or advanced level of English.”

This change benefits Viana and other possible candidates who do not meet the previous language requirements.

The change in the bylaws was only made after Viana’s appointment in January of this year when English was still required as a “minimum requirement” to fill the position.

This way, Viana stayed irregularly in the position for three months, with a monthly remuneration of R$65,000.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva nominated Jorge Viana to head Apex-Brasil.

The situation raises questions about transparency and ethics in appointing public positions.

After all, it is up to the Presidency of the Republic to verify whether the nominees meet the requirements for the position.

With information from Revista Oeste