Lula Names Wellington César Lima e Silva Justice and Public Security Minister

Overview

• Lima e Silva, currently Petrobras’ general counsel and a former top legal aide in the Casa Civil, was confirmed on Jan. 13 after a meeting at the Planalto and will replace Ricardo Lewandowski, who resigned last week.
• The appointment will be formalized in an extra edition of the Official Gazette, with Manoel Carlos de Almeida Neto serving as interim until the handover.
• Palace and congressional allies indicate the ministry will remain unified for now, with possible internal adjustments to emphasize the fight against organized crime rather than a formal split.
• Lima e Silva briefly held the Justice portfolio in 2016 but left after an STF ruling barred active prosecutors from executive posts, a restriction that no longer applies following his retirement from the Bahia Public Prosecutor’s Office.
• He inherits a difficult security agenda as the Security PEC, reworked by relator Mendonça Filho, faces uncertain prospects before the election, raising concerns among allies about the government’s leverage after Lewandowski’s exit.