Ex-Mobil Official Says Firm Fudged Reports : Energy: The company was trying to protect its upper management when it cheated on documents, a witness in a wrongful termination trial charges.

NEWARK, N.J. — Mobil tried to protect its upper management by having its environmental auditors fudge their reports on federal environmental violations, a former environmental manager for the oil giant says.

Philip Olson made his claim Wednesday at a trial in U.S. District Court, where Valcar Bowman is suing Mobil Oil Corp. Bowman, a former Mobil environmental officer, says the company fired him in 1986 for opposing a cover-up of environmental problems at Mobil’s Torrance refinery.

Bowman wants his job back as well as back pay and reimbursement for legal fees.

Olson testified during the five-week trial that Bowman was fired for having “political problems with upper management.”

Mobil denies Bowman’s claims. The company says Bowman was let go for insubordination and disobedience and as part of a cost-cutting effort at its Mobil Chemical Corp. subsidiary.

In testimony Wednesday, Olson said inspectors spoke candidly with Mobil managers but were careful in their notes and reports not to leave a paper trail that investigators could trace to higher executives.

Olson said he saw environmental violations at the refineries he audited. He used an analogy to illustrate how Mobil wanted reports done.

“Let’s say the speed limit is 55, and we saw a company vehicle go in excess of 55,” he testified. “We’d say we saw it going in excess of 50.”

Bowman was fired after a Los Angeles County district attorney made an unannounced search of the Torrance refinery and confiscated documents detailing alleged air pollution violations.

After that, the company ordered that certain records from the Mobil Chemical plant in Bakersfield be brought to its outside lawyer. Bowman’s staff was ordered to move the documents.

Bowman says he opposed transferring the documents as unethical and immoral and that Mobil knew an inspection of the plant was imminent.