The National EN former president, José Eduardo Dutra (Sergio Lima / Folhapress / SEE)
José Eduardo Dutra, former senator and former president of Petrobras and the PT, died in the early hours of Sunday, at age 58, victim of cancer, today reported the party, two days after the Federal Supreme Court (STF) has authorized he was called to testify in one of the surveys of Operation Wash Jet.
Dutra was a key leader of the PT in recent years and both great collaborator of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as the current administration of Dilma Rousseff, who was coordinator of the campaign in 2010.
The former senator died at his home in Belo Horizonte, where he will be veiled today and where there will be a memorial service on Monday before being cremated.
Despite being out of politics since April 2011 for medical reasons, the official was today the first alternate current Senator Antonio Carlos Valadares.
The trade unionist and political leader was born in Rio de Janeiro on April 11, 1957, but has developed throughout his political career in the state of Sergipe with Marcelo Deda, another important leader of the PT who died in 2013.
Dutra began his political career as president of the Union of Miners of the State of Sergipe (Sindimina), who led from 1989 to 1994 and as head of the Central Workers Union (CUT).
In 1994 he was elected senator for the state of Sergipe and made strong opposition to the government of President Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002).
In January 2003, with the arrival of Lula to power, he was named president of Petrobras, who led until July 2005.
He was also president of the subsidiary Petrobras Distribuidora between September 2007 and August 2009, when he resigned to run for president of the Workers Party.
Dutra was elected party chairman for the biennium 2010-2012, but resigned in April 2011 by his health problems, as their doctors recommended a life less hectic.
As President of the PT was coordinator of the presidential campaign of Dilma in 2010 along with the current Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo, and the former minister Antonio Palocci.
On Friday (2), the Minister of STF Teori Zavascki had authorized the convening of Dutra to testify in Lava-jet operation, which investigates criminal organization dedicated to illicit business with Petrobras.
(With EFE)
