UPDATE 1-Ecuadorean judge recuses himself from Chevron case

* Judge Nunez denies misconduct, bribery accusations

* Judge says recuses himself so investigation can proceed (Adds attorney general's quotes, background, context)

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO, Sept 4 (Reuters) - An Ecuadorean judge presiding over a $27 billion lawsuit against Chevron Corp (CVX.N) recused himself from the case on Friday after state prosecutors opened an investigation into accusations of bribery and misconduct.

"I decided to remove myself from this case so authorities can continue with their work," Judge Juan Nunez told Reuters by telephone.

"My conscience is clean. I have committed no wrong-doing. It is important that this is investigated."

Ecuador's Attorney General Washington Pesantez began an investigation earlier this week after U.S. oil company Chevron accused Nunez of misconduct and involvement in a bribery scheme.

On Friday, Pesantez warned Chevron against any attempts to undermine the legal process. He said a probe would determine the veracity of the video, and that he planned to call those involved to testify.

"Chevron is using the video to delegitimize the process being brought against it and create the pretext for not paying large damages in case they are found guilty," Pesantez said at a press conference.

The 16-year-old case against Chevron is registered in the Ecuadorean oil town of Lago Agrio, where indigenous communities have accused Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, of damaging the environment and their health while operating petroleum facilities in the region.

An expert appointed by the Ecuadorean court said last year that Chevron should pay around $27 billion, including more than $8 billion in unjust enrichment.

MYSTERIOUS VIDEO TRIGGERS PROBES

Chevron said on Monday that it would ask to have Nunez disqualified, after giving Ecuadorean and U.S. officials a secretly recorded video of Nunez talking of ruling against Chevron later this year.

Chevron said the video, posted at its TexacoEcuador YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/texacoecuador, shows a man at another meeting identifying himself as a representative of Ecuador's ruling party and discussing a $3 million bribe for contracts, of which Nunez would get a third.

Earlier this week, Ecuador's Inspector General Diego Garcia told local press, "We have to analyze everything here and carry out an investigation."

The attorney general and inspector general are responsible for investigating cases involving corruption of public employees and justice officials and demands made by foreign companies.

POLLUTION, HIDDEN CAMERAS, SECRETED PEOPLE

The plaintiffs, represented by U.S.-based lawyer Steven Donziger, have accused Texaco of dumping billions of gallons of polluted water in the jungle around where they live for more than two decades before the company left Ecuador in the early 1990s.

Chevron has complained in the past about political interference in the case.

Last Monday, Chevron said in a statement that two meetings with Nunez and two meetings with purported party representative Patricio Garcia had been recorded by both Diego Borja, a local logistics contractor who has worked for Chevron, and American Wayne Hansen, who has no relationship with the company.

Chevron said the four meetings were recorded without its knowledge, through small cameras in a watch owned by Borja and a pen held by Hansen. The company said Borja brought the bribery scheme to its attention in June.

Chevron said Borja and Hansen had been "pursuing business opportunities" in Ecuador before the potential for remediation work was brought to their attention and the meeting with Garcia was arranged to discuss it.

Chevron spokesman Kent Robertson said on Monday that the two men had not explained why they recorded the meetings.

Karen Hinton, a Washington D.C.-based spokeswoman for the Amazon Defense Coalition, which supports the plaintiffs, said on Monday the video showed Nunez had resisted the attempted bribe scheme put to him by the former Chevron contractor.

Pablo Fajardo, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in the Amazon Defense Coalition's statement that the timing of the release of the videos, months after Chevron said it had learned of them, appeared related to the impending judgment by Nunez.

"That's just one reason why this appears suspicious," Fajardo said.

Chevron said Borja and Hansen first met with Nunez in May after an initial meeting at Alianza Pais's Quito offices with Garcia, who said he was a representative of the party.

Garcia then arranged for Borja and Hansen to fly to Lago Agrio to see Nunez, and the two men met Nunez again at a Quito hotel in June, Chevron said.

Chevron said neither man was paid, though the San Ramon, California-based company said it had assisted Borja with the costs of relocating out of Ecuador and other support because he and Chevron feared for his safety and that of his family.

The company said that for security reasons it would not divulge Borja's whereabouts.

The Amazon Defense Coalition said in a statement on Tuesday that Borja had worked for Chevron on the environmental trial during the final eight field inspections conducted in March, and that one of is cousins works for Chevron. (Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Patrick Markey in Bogota; Editing by Toni Reinhold)