President Lula decided to choose the current attorney general of Petrobras, Wellington César Lima e Silva, to head the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The definition took place last Monday (12) and was communicated, throughout the afternoon, to ministers closest to the president.
The appointment expands the presence of Bahians in the central core of the government. Influential members such as the Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, the Minister of Social Communication, Sidônio Palmeira, and the government leader in the Senate, Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), worked behind the scenes to consolidate Wellington’s name.
Wellington’s appointment was published in an extra edition of today’s Official Gazette of the Union.
Wellington has already held the ministerial portfolio. In March 2016, during the government of former president Dilma Rousseff (PT), he took over the Ministry of Justice, but remained in the position for only 11 days. At the time, he left the department after a decision by the Federal Supreme Court (STF), which understood that it was not possible to combine his role in the Executive with his career in the Public Ministry. He chose to remain in the MP.
With good dialogue in the Supreme Court, Wellington is seen by Lula’s allies as a name with a firm profile in the area of public security. The topic is considered a priority by the president and is part of the government’s political strategy, especially with a focus on the dispute for re-election in 2026.
The expectation in Planalto is that Wellington will travel to Brasília this week for a meeting with Lula, before the formalization and official announcement of the appointment.
