Brazil's Federal Audit Court (TCU) acquits former Petrobras director and confirms the correctness of his conduct in the pre-salt drilling rig case.
The court acknowledges that Guilherme Estrella acted with technical skill and in good faith in contracts related to Sete Brasil, with no indication of irregularity.
247 - The Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) unanimously overturned a previous decision and accepted the motions for clarification with modifying effects presented by the defense of geologist Guilherme Estrella, former director of Exploration and Production at Petrobras. The decision concerns the Sondas Project, which investigated contracts signed between the state-owned company and the Sete Brasil group between 2010 and 2012.
According to information from the TCU itself, the plenary session completely overturned the fine imposed on Estrella in Ruling No. 820/2023, recognizing that the former director acted in good faith, with technical rigor and commitment to the public interest. The leading opinion of the new decision highlighted that Estrella had advocated for safer and more diversified contracting models, capable of reducing financial and operational risks for Petrobras — proposals that, however, were not adopted by other instances of the company.
The Court further emphasized that there is no connection whatsoever between Estrella and the irregularities investigated in Operation Lava Jato, reinforcing its historical role in the discovery and development of the pre-salt layer, one of the greatest milestones of Brazilian energy sovereignty.
The decision represents a significant shift in understanding the case, reaffirming that public officials can only be held liable upon proof of intent or gross negligence, as determined by the Law of Introduction to the Norms of Brazilian Law (LINDB) and the new Law on Administrative Impropriety.
In the court documents, the former director's defense emphasized that "the Audit Secretariat itself acknowledged the absence of malice" and that previous decisions by the TCU (Federal Court of Accounts) had already ruled out any irregularity in his conduct. In concluding the process, the Court highlighted the importance of technical justice and due process in the evaluation of public managers.
Guilherme Estrella's defense was led by lawyers Rafael Favetti, Guilherme Favetti, and Anna Dantas, who successfully demonstrated the probity and integrity of the former Petrobras director's management, bringing to a close a process that had dragged on for over a decade.
