Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Wednesday named her mentor and predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as her chief of staff, according to dpa. The move comes with Lula under investigation for corruption allegations, while Rousseff is profoundly unpopular amid a severe economic downturn and the same far-reaching scandal in which Lula is caught up, involving billions of dollars in alleged kickbacks by state-owned oil company Petrobras. Rousseff, 68, said that Lula will head Brazil's Casa Civil, an influential post similar to a cabinet chief. Lula's new appointment will make it more difficult for prosecutors to pursue legal actions against him.
