Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno has been sentenced to five years in prison after a court found him guilty of accepting bribes linked to the construction of the country’s largest hydroelectric dam.
Moreno, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, was among 20 people convicted in the corruption case involving the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project, constructed by Chinese company Sinohydro.
Prosecutors alleged that about $76 million in bribes was paid in connection with the project, representing roughly four per cent of its total construction cost.
Moreno, 73, denied the allegations and insisted that he never received money from Sinohydro.
“I have never received a single cent from Sinohydro.”
The former president also accused his former political ally and predecessor, Rafael Correa, of being behind the case, describing it as retaliation following their political fallout.
Moreno served as Correa’s vice-president from 2007 to 2013 before becoming president. Their relationship later deteriorated after Moreno moved away from Correa’s socialist policies and developed closer ties with the United States.
The court also handed nearly three-year prison sentences to Moreno’s wife and other relatives for their alleged involvement in the corruption case.
Two former managers of the Coca Codo Sinclair power plant were also convicted.
Prosecutors had sought a six-and-a-half-year sentence for Moreno, who has now announced plans to appeal the judgment.
Source: Court proceedings
