This change would require the new interim government of interim President Michel Temer to get legislative approval from Congress, Reuters reported.

The deals are sought by engineering and construction companies caught up in the massive corruption scandal involving state-run oil player Petrobras. If granted, such deals would allow companies blacklisted for corruption to bid for new state contracts if they admit wrongdoing, collaborate with investigators and pay a fine.

Thirty-one contractors, including Brazil's largest builders, have been banned from signing new contracts with state-run Petrobras since late 2014 due to corruption and bribery allegations.

A legislative change would delay the signing of leniency agreements but would give companies that do sign more security against legal challenges, the news wire said.  

Temer's position as interim President is owed to the fact that President Dilma Rousseff has been suspended from office.

Last year, Rousseff proposed a measure to speed up the leniency deals in a bid to revive the economy, which suffered amid low oil prices and the corruption scandal that gripped the nation.

However the move was criticised by federal prosecutors who argued that without their participation, the government would let companies off too easily.

Rousseff's impeachment requires another Senate vote by qualified majority, scheduled to take place within the next six months. If she is impeached, Temer would serve out her term until 2018. ​