Brazil’s antitrust chief has called for a review of a disputed petition over the suspension of the Soybean Moratorium, deepening a clash within the country’s competition authority.
The president of Brazil’s antitrust authority, Gustavo Augusto de Lima, has asked for a review of a petition filed by the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (Abiove), following a heated dispute over the interpretation and validity of a recent plenary decision.
The petition stems from an appeal against a decision by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) to suspend the Soybean Moratorium.
Abiove’s petition challenges what it calls “unilateral alterations” made by the CADE presidency to the official minutes of the ruling session, held Sept. 30.
The divergence lies in the interpretation and subsequent alteration of the judgment’s outcome. The original minutes stated that the majority adopted Levi’s divergent vote, which suspended the preventive measure until Dec. 31, 2025.
However, the ratified version and later presidential dispatches reframed the result, claiming the divergence was merely partial and limited to the timing of the measure, while maintaining the original rapporteur and denying any substantive disagreement on the merits.
Councilor José Levi do Amaral put a decision up for vote reaffirming that interpretation and submitted it for plenary approval, declaring the presidency’s previous order “null and void due to absolute incompetence.” The vote was delayed after de Lima requested additional time to examine the petition.
Source: MLex
