Former Ecuador President Lenín Moreno Sentenced to Five Years in Bribery Case
Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno has been sentenced to five years in prison after a court found him guilty of bribery linked to the construction of the country’s largest hydroelectric power project.
The 73-year-old former president was convicted over a corruption scheme involving the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant, which was built by Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro. Prosecutors alleged that Moreno used his influence to help the company secure the major contract in exchange for illicit payments.
Moreno served as Ecuador’s vice president from 2007 to 2013 before becoming president from 2017 to 2021. The alleged bribery network operated over several years and reportedly involved fraudulent consulting contracts through which about $76.1 million was transferred. Prosecutors said Moreno and members of his family received more than $1 million from the scheme.
Despite the prison sentence, Moreno will serve his punishment under house arrest because he has a physical disability that prevents him from walking. The court also permanently banned him from holding public office.
Several people connected to the case were also convicted. Moreno’s wife and daughter, his two brothers and their wives received two-and-a-half-year sentences, while Cai Runguo, China’s former ambassador to Ecuador, was sentenced to five years.
Moreno has denied the allegations and maintained that he had no role in signing or overseeing the contracts for the hydroelectric project. He returned to Ecuador from Paraguay to face the trial.
The Coca Codo Sinclair plant began operating in 2016 and has since faced criticism over technical and structural problems.
The ruling makes Moreno the third former Ecuadorian president to receive a corruption-related prison sentence, highlighting the country’s continuing efforts to prosecute high-level corruption.
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