By Ricardo Brito
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Three justices on Brazil’s Supreme Court have voted against allowing state-owned oil company Petrobras
Justices Marco Aurlio Mello and Ricardo Lewandowski voted to stop the privatizations, according to the court’s website on Monday, after justice Edson Fachin similarly voted against it on Friday. Brazil’s Congress had requested that the court suspend the transactions.
The Supreme Court has until Friday to rule on the matter, with the other nine justices yet to cast their votes.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as Petrobras is formally known, is in talks to sell refineries in Bahia and Parana states as part of an overall divestment plan that aims to sell eight refineries.
The company is in exclusive talks to sell the Rlam refinery in Bahia to Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala Investment Co. Petrobras’ bid to sell its Repar facility in Parana has attracted interest from Raizen, a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; writing by Jake Spring and Aurora Ellis; editing by Jonathan Oatis)