In Ecuador, a lawsuit against the oil giant Chevron for environmental damage in the Amazon jungle is being threatened by allegations of judicial corruption. Chevron has been sued for dumping billions of gallons of toxic oil waste into Ecuador’s rain forest. An independent court-appointed expert has recommended Chevron pay up to $27 billion in damages. But now Chevron has released video it says shows the judge in the case, Judge Juan Nunez, meeting with an alleged representative of Ecuador’s governing political party and two contractors. Chevron says the video shows the judge discussing ruling against Chevron as well as a $3 million bribe for contracts involving another company. Chevron spokesperson Jim Craig called on Ecuador to investigate Judge Nunez.

Jim Craig: “We call on the Ecuadorean authorities to carry out a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into this bribery plot, not only focusing on the conduct of Judge Nunez, but also into the serious indications of political interference in the case. The results of this investigation should be made public.”

Judge Nunez has denied Chevron’s allegations and said the videos were manipulated. He had been expected to issue a final ruling in the Chevron lawsuit before the end of the year. The original suit was brought sixteen years ago. Julio Prieto, a lawyer for the Amazon residents, said Chevron is continuing its pattern of delaying the case.

Julio Prieto: “This seems to me to be a last-minute strategy, a smokescreen to distract public attention and to gain time. Why are they going to gain time? Because with how bad this looks, the judge is surely going to be removed from the case, and the new judge will have to start everything from zero again, and it would take any human being a considerable amount of time to do that. Now that we are so close to hearing the sentence, I would say that this is a dirty strategy to win them one more year.”

The Ecuadorian government has denied interference in the case and said it’s investigating Chevron’s allegations.