Rumors of Silva’s appointment surfaced after police forced him to answer questions in a corruption probe at the state-run oil giant Petrobras.
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Citing administration sources, newspaper O Globo reported that Lula was prepared to accept a post on condition Rousseff agree to overhaul her economic policy to make it “more focused on rebooting growth”.
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will take over as chief of staff for his successor Dilma Rousseff in a bid to save her from impeachment, raising the prospect of a shift away from austerity measures to jumpstart a moribund economy.
As part of a plea-bargain testimony accepted by the country’s supreme court, senator Delcídio do Amaral made a series of explosive claims against the country’s political elite, naming leaders from Ms Rousseff’s ruling Workers Party as well as leading opposition figures as involved in corruption, bribery, obstruction of justice and influence peddling as he painted a disturbing picture for prosecutors of rampant criminality among the top echelons of power in Latin America’s largest country.
Rousseff released a statement denying she had anything to do with the meeting.
The proposed return to public office of Lula, who stepped down in 2010 after eight years in power as one of the world’s most popular leaders, was slammed by critics as a desperate attempt to shore up support for Rousseff as she faces impeachment proceedings in Congress.
Like Rousseff, Lula is under investigation for his involvement in the Petrobras scandal. Speculation had swirled in recent days that such a move was imminent.
This week’s political turmoil, which has seen the stock market and the currency fall sharply, came on the heels of nationwide protests against Rousseff and her Workers’ Party that brought an estimated 3 million people onto the streets Sunday. Now that Lula is a member of her Cabinet, under Brazilian law only the Supreme Court can authorize his imprisonment and trial.
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“The appointment of Lula as minister shows Brazilians that the government’s only concern today is to survive at any cost”, opposition leader Aecio Neves, who narrowly lost to Rousseff in 2014, said in a Twitter message.
