RIO DE JANEIRO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he neither can nor wants to interfere in the pricing policies of state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras, Brazilian presidential spokesperson Otavio Rego Barros said Tuesday.
The president made the remark during a meeting earlier in the day, according to Barros.
Bolsonaro said right at the beginning of the meeting that "I do not want and I do not have the right to intervene in Petrobras," Barros said.
Last week, Petrobras announced a 5.7-percent rise in the diesel fuel price, but suspended the rise shortly after Bolsonaro's orders. The move was considered against the president's campaign promises and caused the company to lose 32 billion reals (around 8.19 billion U.S. dollars) in market value on Friday only.
When asked about the decision, Bolsonaro said he first called Petrobras' directors to ask about the justification for the rise, and then met with the company's chief executive officer (CEO) Robert Castello Branco to discuss the matter on Tuesday, together with Economy Minister Paulo Guedes and Mines and Energy Minister Bento Costa Lima Leite de Albuquerque Junior.
The president said it was reaffirmed that Petrobras will be in control of its pricing policies at the end of his meeting with the CEO.
