The courts have already blocked seven lawsuits against the Libra oil field auction.
According to the Attorney General of the Union, Minister Luis Inácio Adams, there are still twelve lawsuits pending without a ruling from the courts; according to him, there are no relevant legal criticisms against the auction in the lawsuits filed; they are politically or ideologically motivated objections to holding the bidding process; the auction takes place on Monday.
247 - The government has so far identified seven court decisions that denied preliminary injunctions to prevent the auction of the Libra oil field. According to the Attorney General of the Union, Minister Luis Inácio Adams, there are still twelve actions pending without the Court having ruled and which will continue to be monitored until the date of the auction, which will take place on Monday (21).
According to Adams, there are no relevant legal criticisms against the auction in the lawsuits filed. The lawsuits, he says, are politically or ideologically motivated challenges to holding the bidding process. Most argue that Petrobras should be the sole developer of the field.
"I don't think the criticism of holding the auction, so far, is pertinent. It's not even legal. I haven't seen anything that threatens the auction's success," stated the Attorney General, who informed that he will maintain a presence at the federal courts throughout the weekend.
The lawsuits were filed in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, Recife, Curitiba, and Duque de Caxias (RJ). According to him, the understanding of the majority of judges has been that jurisdiction for judging the lawsuits lies with the Federal Court in Rio de Janeiro.
Check out the article from Agência Brasil:
André Richter*
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia – A report released today (18) by the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) shows that the government has already managed to overturn seven of the 19 lawsuits that request the suspension of the Libra Field auction, the first in the pre-salt, which is scheduled for Monday (21).
According to the Attorney General's Office (AGU), the body that represents the government in court, no injunction has been granted by the judiciary to block the auction. Public lawyers are monitoring the lawsuits filed in all states and the Federal District to prevent its cancellation.
Among the rejected requests is the one filed by former Petrobras director Ildo Sauer and lawyer Fábio Konder Comparato. Federal judge Carla Cristina de Oliveira Meira, substitute of the 21st Federal Civil Court in São Paulo, today (18) rejected the request for an injunction in a popular action that asked for the annulment of the notice.
The lawsuit requested the suspension of the auction, among other reasons, because it would transfer control over the pace of national production to foreign companies. The pace of production is one of the factors that can influence the price of oil sold.
The magistrate ordered the Special Bidding Committee to make the action public to the participants and competitors of the bidding process so that there are no potential losses to the winner, should the judge later recognize the nullity of the bidding document in a final ruling.
The Libra oil field auction is the target of criticism and protests organized by social movements. This Friday, oil workers entered the second day of their national strike.
In total, the security force that will operate at the auction will consist of 1,1 men. The decision to reinforce security was made after protests against the auction intensified. In addition to the Civil and Military Police, the Fire Department, and the Municipal Guard of Rio de Janeiro, the Army and the National Force will also be involved to guarantee security.
* Contributed by Bruno Bocchini // Edited by Juliana Andrade