Ecuador mulls legal action for Chevron

Ecuador's state prosecutor, Diego Garcia, said his office is studying whether to proceed with legal action in the US against Chevron in a case that stems from claims brought by indigenous groups against the oil company.

Ecuadorean Attorney General Washington Pesantez recently asked the prosecutor to start the legal action, saying that Chevron could be held accountable under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

"We are carrying out an analysis to determine if we will proceed or not in starting a process against Chevron, and if so, when it could proceed," Garcia said at a press conference, reported Dow Jones.

Kent Robertson, a media relations advisor for Chevron, when asked for a response to the prosecutor's comments, said in an email: "The announcement could be interpreted as an effort to deflect attention from the government of Ecuador's meddling in the Lago Agrio litigation and, more broadly, from the complete politicization of its judiciary."

At the press conference Garcia said that regardless of whether legal claims proceed in the US, Ecuador will continue to look into the case.

Garcia said his office and that of the attorney general will work to ensure that the process is transparent.