The Washington Times – Editorial – Ecuador’s Chevron shakedown; Environmental case designed to grab billions
The Washington Times editorializes on the lawsuit against Chevron in Ecuador:
Ecuadorean Ambassador Luis Gallegos says in a letter on this page that “the government of Ecuador has no stake in the outcome of the private environmental litigation.” The facts show otherwise. On multiple occasions, the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has weighed in against Chevron, making clear that his government has prejudged the case that claims the country suffered grave ecological damage from energy drilling performed by Texaco before the company became part of Chevron.
To cite one of many examples of fairness, Mr. Correa announced on Jan. 19, 2008, that the Amazon Defense Front, advocate of record for the plaintiffs in the case, “has all the support of the national government. … They know they can count on the support given by the national government.” In a weekly presidential broadcast on Aug. 9, 2008, Mr. Correa blasted Chevron and its defense, saying, “Washington Pesantez, the public prosecutor, has wisely opened investigations to sanction these people, because it is a lie. Nothing had been solved; no contamination had been remediated.”
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