Former Ecuador President Lenin Moreno Sentenced to 5 Years in Bribery Case
Former Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of accepting bribes from a Chinese company in exchange for helping secure a contract to build a major hydroelectric project.
Moreno, 73, was present in court when the verdict was read on Friday. Because of a physical disability that prevents him from walking, he will serve his sentence under house arrest.
Prosecutors said Moreno was a direct participant in a corruption network that operated between 2008 and 2018, during his tenure as vice president under former President Rafael Correa. The network allegedly collected bribes equivalent to 4% of the value of projects undertaken by Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro.
Moreno’s wife and daughter were each sentenced to 30 months in prison after being convicted as accomplices. Two of his brothers and a brother-in-law were also found guilty in the case.
The investigation centred on the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant, a project worth roughly USD 2 billion. Sinohydro began construction in 2010 and handed the facility over to Ecuador in 2016. The plant has since faced criticism over structural defects.
The case adds Moreno to a growing list of former Ecuadorian presidents convicted in corruption-related proceedings. Correa was sentenced in 2020 to eight years for accepting bribes in a case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. He remains in Belgium, where he has lived for several years.
Former President Jamil Mahuad was sentenced in 2014 to eight years for misuse of public funds, while former President Abdala Bucaram is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of organised crime.
Moreno rose to national prominence in 2007 after becoming Correa’s vice president. He served until 2013 and later won the presidency in 2017 as a candidate of the Correísta movement, with Jorge Glas as his running mate. Glas subsequently left office and is serving a prison sentence for corruption.