Chief of state oil company dismissed in Brazil

SAO PAULO

The CEO of Brazil's state oil company Petrobras has been sacked, the government announced on May 14.

The move follows a recent spat between Petrobras and shareholders over dividend payments, which heightened concerns about the government's influence in the publicly traded company's decision-making.

Jean Paul Prates, a former state senator and ally Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, "has been dismissed," a presidential spokesman said on May 14 evening.

A lawyer and economist, Prates was appointed last January by the Petrobras board of directors soon after leftist Lula was sworn in for a third term. He previously held office from 2003-2011.

Prates previously served as a senator in the state of Rio Grande do Norte and was a member of Lula's Workers' Party.

A presidential spokesperson later told AFP that Lula intends to nominate former top regulator Magda Chambriard to be the next CEO, pending approval by the company's board.

Chambriard led Brazil's oil and natural gas agency (ANP) from 2008-2016 and is the only woman to have held the post.

She served under Lula and his successor Dilma Rousseff, also a member of the Workers' Party.