Brazil Finance Minister Denies Knowledge Of Citibank Offer
BRASILIA -(Dow Jones)- Brazil Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Tuesday he
knew nothing about an offer by Citigroup Inc. (C) to sell a stake at the height
of the global financial crisis.
"There was no offer by Citibank," Mantega said on the sidelines of a press
conference on auto tax incentives, referring to the Citigroup unit. "At least I
had no knowledge of it."
"If there were an offer it was for the private sector. For the public sector
nothing was offered, I know nothing about it," he said.
Earlier Tuesday Brazil Energy Minister Edison Lobao said the parent Citigroup
had asked the Brazilian government to buy a stake in it as the bank was seeking
a cash infusion.
However, Lobao admitted that he wasn't involved in the negotiations nor had he
exact details of the possible deal.
By John Kolodziejski, Dow Jones Newswires; 55-21-2586-6086, John.kolodziejski@
dowjones.com
(Gerald Jeffries in Brasilia contributed to this article.)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
11-24-091719ET
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