André Freire leaves CADE after two years of office

On 14 July, André Luís Macagnan Freire leaves the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) after two years as the chief federal attorney of the Office of the Attorney General (PFE), in which he improved the efficiency of PFE’s management by reducing the average time to case review and increasing the number of cases assessed.

From 2024 to 2026, he implemented two Action Plans to strengthen the operations with initiatives aimed at expanding advisory support to senior management, standardising internal procedures, creating panels to monitor court cases, in addition to developing guidelines and advisory opinions.

Mr Freire also helped to strengthen the team of attorneys, increased the PFE’s involvement in decision-making, enhanced the legal certainty of proceedings, and reduced the average time to review consultations.

Furthermore, he conducted analyses on agreements such as merger control agreements and cease and desist agreements, as well as settlements and negotiations relating to administration processes.

Regarding judicial litigation, the focus was on advocating for relevant preventive measures, developing strategic arguments, monitoring legal proceedings, working along with the Judiciary and the Federal Prosecution Services, as well as refining the mechanisms for tracking case files.

In the administrative field, the key developments include the adoption of Resolution 38/2026, rationalisation of advisory activities, organisation of credit management, and support for the drafting of internal regulations.

In addition, he also led multiple workshops and technical events in partnership with institutions such as the Office of the Attorney General (AGU), the National Council of Justice (CNJ), and the National Council of Public Prosecutors' Office (CNMP).

Professional journey

André Freire has a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of São Paulo (USP) and in Economic Sciences from the University of Brasília (UnB). He has been a lawyer at the Office of the Attorney General of Brazil (AGU) since January 2017.

Throughout his career, he was a member of the AGU arbitration sector, acting general co-ordinator at the Ministry of Planning, Development, and

Management, superintendent of the Superintendência de Infraestrutura Rodoviária (road infrastructure superintendence), acting attorney-general, and advisor to the Executive Board of the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT).

He also served as an advisor to the Special Secretariat for the Investment Partnership Program of the Presidency of Brazil, and as a counsel at the National Treasury Attorney General's Office.

Farewell session

On 1 July, André Freire was honoured by the commissioners for the two years of service in the agency. Mr Freire received a commemorative plaque for his dedication in the last hearing session as the chief federal attorney of the Office of the Federal Attorney at the agency.

Diogo Thomson, interim president at CADE, commended Mr Freire’s work: “This is not a ‘goodbye’, it is just a ‘see you soon’! We hope that he can join us again and start his second mandate shortly. In this period, he devoted himself to the role and accomplished so much that it feels like he has been here longer”, he stated.