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Brazilian President Michel Temer appointed Sunday as the new Minister of Mining and Energy one of his close collaborators, Wellington Moreira Franco, who is currently under investigation over corruption charges.
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The appointment of Moreira Franco, currently secretary of Presidency, is part of a cabinet reshuffle of about 15 ministers who resigned so they could run for the upcoming regional and legislative elections due in October.
Moreira Franco's predecessor Fernando Coelho Filho resigned on Friday in order to run for a federal lawmaker, representing the state of Pernambuco under the banner of the Brazilian Democratic Movement, or MDB.
Brazil's Public Ministry opened a criminal probe against Moreira Franco, accusing him of having benefited from bribes from the construction firm Odebrecht and the meat giant JBS, as part of a criminal organization formed with other members of the MDB.
On top of Moreira Franco's new political agenda in the coming months will be the privatization of the public electric company Electrobras.
The announcement comes one day after Brazil's Supreme Court denied former President Luiz Inacio 'Lula' da Silva habeas corpus while he appeals his corruption conviction, potentially bringing an end to his re-election campaign.
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