Lula Names Wellington César Lima e Silva Justice Minister, Keeps Portfolio Unified

Overview

• The Presidency said the nomination will appear in an extra edition of the Diário Oficial da União, with a handover ceremony expected in the coming days.
• The ministry will remain a single structure for now despite calls to split it, with reports of an internal shift toward tackling organized crime.
• Wellington César is Petrobras’ general counsel and a former head of the Presidency’s legal office, backed by Jaques Wagner, Rui Costa and Sidônio Palmeira.
• His 2016 tenure lasted days after the Supreme Court barred active prosecutors from executive posts; he retired from the Bahia Public Prosecutor’s Office in 2023, removing that restriction.
• Early priorities include salvaging the government’s reworked public‑security constitutional amendment, handling the Antifacção bill’s disputes, and building bridges with opposition governors.