SAN RAMON, Calif., April 6 (UPI) -- Lawyers representing Ecuador in an environmental case submitted fraudulent reports regarding oil contamination in the Amazon, Chevron claims.
Ecuador is suing Chevron for $27 billion, claiming its affiliate, Texaco, failed to clean up after oil production in the region from 1968 to 1992. Chevron counters the claims, saying state-run Petroecuador is responsible for the damage.
In the latest dust up, lawyers for the plaintiff had submitted falsified reports to the courts, said Hewitt Pate, a vice president at Chevron and general counsel.
"Their own expert has testified that two of the plaintiffs' earliest reports are fraudulent, confirming that the trial in Ecuador has been tainted from the outset," said Pate.
Chevron claims Charles Calmbacher, a biologist and industrial hygienist, said inspection reports from two wells in Ecuador were submitted without his consent. Calmbacher is testifying as an expert witness for the plaintiffs.
Calmbacher, according to Chevron, said that he "never" concluded remediation efforts conducted on the behalf of Chevron were unsuccessful.
"Chevron has long claimed the lawsuit is baseless and tainted by scores of irregularities and fraud," the company said.
