José Dirceu
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José Dirceu de Oliveira e Silva is a Brazilian politician. Dirceu was born on March 16, 1946, the son of Castorino de Oliveira and Olga Guedes da Silva. He is married to Maria Rita Garcia and has three children: José Carlos, Joana and Camila. With a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), he served as state deputy from 1987 to 1991 (SP-PT) and federal deputy from 1991 to 1995 (SP-PT) and, again, from 1999 to 2003 (SP-PT).
Dirceu held numerous posts in the Workers' Party (Brazil) (PT), of which he is one of the founders, including the presidency of the National Executive between 1995 and 1997. In 1989 he coordinated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's first presidential campaign for the party.
He exercised various parliamentary activities in municipal councils, state legislative assemblies, and the legislative chamber of the Federal District. Among them, he was a member of the Finance and Budget Commission and vice-president of the Public Safety Commission.
Dirceu began his militancy joining the "Ala Marighella" (ALN, later) in 1966, a revolutionary armed group linked to the Brazilian Communist Party. In 1968 Dirceu, who was known as "Daniel", was the leader of the State Union of Students or UEE.
In consequence of his militancy in the student movement, Dirceu was arrested in October 12, 1968, during the 30th Congress of the National Student Union (UNE), in Ibiúna.
In 1969 the Marxist revolutionary groups MR8 and ALN abducted the US ambassador to Brazil Charles Burke Elbrick. The revolutionaries demanded the liberation of a list of prisoners, including José Dirceu. This incident is the basis of the film Four Days in September.
After that he travelled to Cuba. While in exile, Dirceu worked, got military training and studied in the island. According to him, he changed his appearance after plastic surgery. Dirceu returned later to Brazil in 1975 with the false name of "Carlos Henrique Gouveia de Mello". He married his first wife and lived in Paraná in total secret, with his identity unbeknownst even to his wife, until 1979, when he returned to Cuba.
He would come back again to Brazil in 1980, after amnesty had been granted. Separated from his first wife, he married again, now to the psychologist Ângela Saragosa and he assumed his real identity. The marriage with Ângela Saragosa came to an end in 1990. In 1991 he married his current wife, Maria Rita Garcia Andrade, an old friend from his militant days.
Dirceu played an active role in the movement to grant amnesty to those tried for and convicted of political activities, as well as in the coordination of the (Diretas Já!) campaign in 1984 in favor of direct presidential elections. As state deputy, he gained recognition for monitoring the government of the state of São Paulo.
From January 1, 2003 until June 16, 2005, Dirceu was the chief-of-staff of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. (In Brazil, the chief-of-staff has a ministerial status similar to the British Cabinet Office) His departure is attributed to his purported knowledge of a corruption scheme in the legislative. Upon leaving the government, Dirceu resumed his roles as an elected deputy of the state of São Paulo. He was expelled from the Congress on November 30, 2005, accused of breaking the parliamentary decorum due to his involvement with Mensalão scandal. He cannot be elected to any executive or legislative positions until 2015. As of 2006, he practices in a law firm in Rio de Janeiro.
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