Commissioner Victor Fernandes honoured at his final hearing

On 11 February, the farewell to Commissioner Victor Fernandes marked the opening of the hearing session of the Tribunal of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE).

The ceremony featured remarks from commissioners, staff members, and representatives of the legal community and the antitrust sector.

Tributes were paid by CADE President Gustavo Augusto, Superintendent General Alexandre Barreto, Commissioner José Levi, Chief Economist Lilian Marques, and Chief Federal Attorney at CADE André Luiz Freire.

Justice Gilmar Mendes of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and Vinícius Marques de Carvalho of the Office of the Comptroller General (CGU) also attended, highlighting Victor's career and professional excellence.

Other speakers highlighting his qualities included representatives of Ibrac, the WIA Network, OAB/DF, and the IASP Competition Committee, as well as former commissioners Paulo Burnier, currently at the OECD, and Luiz Hoffmann.

Tributes

Commissioner José Levi, representing the Tribunal, said Victor's work had been instrumental in strengthening legal certainty in CADE's decisions. According to him, “Victor is extremely intelligent and wise, with strong leadership skills and high emotional intelligence”.

Superintendent General Alexandre Barreto highlighted Victor's technical expertise, commitment to competition defence, and ability to engage with the public sector and academia. “His career in competition did not begin with his term at CADE, nor does it end here. It will continue to be successful whatever challenge he faces ahead”, he concluded.

President Gustavo Augusto highlighted Victor's career and said his work has been fundamental to strengthening CADE's institutional role: “The commissioner has always stood out, a brilliant young man who still has a long career ahead”.

Acknowledgements

In his speech, Commissioner Victor thanked CADE's commissioners, civil servants and employees for their work during his term and stressed the authority's role in economic development and consumer protection.

He also noted that the past four years had brought significant developments in competition law and said he was honoured to represent CADE at international events that served as forums for dialogue and exchange.

“Serving as a commissioner was an honour, whose full significance became clear as the term came to an end. I was entrusted with something no technical training could have fully prepared me for”, he said. Mr Fernandes also recalled that CADE's mission extends beyond its adjudicatory function.

He said this includes public policy-making, forward-looking analysis of market dynamics, sectoral guidance, and dialogue with the other branches of government, academia, the productive sector, and civil society.

Career 

During his term, which began in 2022, Victor Fernandes took part in the review and adjudication of significant competition cases, including matters involving complex economic and regulatory issues.

His work on the Tribunal addressed structural competition law issues and the interplay between competition, regulation, and public policy, contributing to the development of CADE's case law and institutional work.