The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) sent this Thursday (18) to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) an opinion against one of the actions that attempt to block the privatization of the São Paulo Basic Sanitation Company of the State of São Paulo (Sabesp). The opinion was requested by the president of the STFMinister Luís Roberto Barroso, within 24 hours.
The state-owned company is in the process of privatization. The final phase of liquidation should be completed next Monday (22).
Privatization is the target of lawsuits filed by the PT, PSOL, PV, PCdoB and Rede Sustentabilidade against State Law 17.853/2023, the law that authorized the sale of the state-owned company. The parties claim that the privatization model is unconstitutional. Among the arguments presented, the PT, for example, claims that the company will be sold at a price below market value and says that there is a limit on shareholder participation to favor only one competitor.
In the opinion submitted in the PT lawsuit, Attorney General Paulo Gonet says that the Claim of Non-Compliance with a Fundamental Precept (ADPF), a type of lawsuit filed by the party, cannot be used to point out alleged illegalities in the privatization. “Within the very brief period of twenty-four hours, it is not possible to clearly state the existence of the irregularities raised, justifying the granting of the precautionary measure at this time,” he stated.
The party also contests the participation of Karla Bertocco, former director of Equatorial Participações e Investimentos, on the board that decided in favor of privatization. The company was the only one to present a proposal to assume the position of reference investor.
“The government of the state of São Paulo, in addition to conducting a process of evident depreciation of public assets, encourages a speculative movement in the national stock market”, states the PT.
