Oil giant Chevron has accused the Ecuadorian judge presiding over a major environmental case of misconduct and bribery.
Chevron spokesmen claimed that the video and audio secretly taped showed Judge Juan Nunez admitting that he would rule against the company for environmental damage in the Amazon region. Officials for the firm also claimed that he would be part of a $3 million bribe scheme.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the multibillion dollar case dismissed Chevron’s accusations. Lawyer Steven Donziger said that the video shows Nunez rejecting the supposed bribe despite being pressured from one of the former Chevron contractors who taped the discussions. He also called for an "investigation" into the "sting operation" by the oil company.
The footage is the latest salvo in Chevron’s PR offensive regarding the trial in Ecuador. In February, Chevron's general counsel claimed that a geological engineer serving as a court advisor had acted “biased”. Last May, Chevron execs blasted the suggestion by some stockholders to create an environmental protection report related to the case.
The following is a 20-minute edited video released by Chevron of the meetings secretly taped with Nunez. We’ll let you decide for yourself if the firm’s claims are correct or propaganda:
Online Sources- Forbes, Reuters, YouTube, The Latin Americanist
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Rest assured that Wayne Hansen is not the Americans real name. Second with his miserable spanish, and with the judge preparing to leave the meeting with all the commotion, it is impossible to say that the judge was saying "si senor" yes sir in response to "Hansens" question that "Chevron is guilty". Especially after he had reiterated several times that the verdict could only come from the conclusion of the trial and not before. No American businessman would record himself blatantly intending to bribe foreign officials to receive contracts and risk fines and imprisonment under the FDCA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). Lastly both the person playing "Wayne Hansen" and his Ecuadorian cohort have conveniently "disappeared" under Chevrons protection. In the US courts, they would both have to testify as to the validity of what went down. In short the whole thing was staged.
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