Friday, December 23, 2011

Crafty Craig Doesn’t Deny Chevron’s Bribe Offer to Ecuador to Make Lawsuit Disappear

Yesterday a Miami Herald reporter asked James Craig, Chevron’s man in Ecuador, about reports that the oil giant has, in essence, offered a $1 billion bribe to Ecuador’s government to kill the $18 billion lawsuit brought by indigenous tribes.

Instead of immediately denying the bribe, Craig demurred and changed the subject – a classic PR move when you have something to hide.

The Miami Herald reported: “Chevron Spokesman James Craig would not address the issue directly, but said the company ‘takes no pleasure in litigation and has tried to resolve this case in the past. However, it is difficult to negotiate with perpetrators of fraud.’”

Craig must have forgotten that Chevron has accused everybody in Ecuador of fraud, including President Correa and some of the government officials Chevron met with to “negotiate” a $500 million “donation” to the Yasuni environmental project and another $500 million “donation” for contamination cleanup.

Read the entire story HERE