An Ecuadorian court has sentenced former President Lenin Moreno to five years in prison for accepting bribes linked to the construction of the country’s largest hydroelectric power plant.
Moreno, 73, who served as president between 2017 and 2021, was among 20 people convicted in connection with corruption allegations surrounding the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project, constructed by Chinese firm Sinohydro.
Prosecutors alleged that Sinohydro paid about $76 million in bribes, equivalent to roughly four per cent of the project’s total cost.
Moreno denied the allegations, insisting that he never received money from the Chinese company. Speaking after Friday’s ruling, he said he had not received “a single cent” from Sinohydro.
The former president also accused his predecessor and former political ally, Rafael Correa, of orchestrating the case as an act of revenge following their political fallout.
Moreno served as Correa’s vice-president from 2007 to 2013 before succeeding him as president. Their relationship later deteriorated after Moreno abandoned Correa’s socialist policies and strengthened ties with the United States.
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The court also handed Moreno’s wife and other relatives nearly three-year prison sentences for their alleged complicity in the corruption scheme.
Two former managers of the Coca Codo Sinclair power plant were also convicted.
Prosecutors had initially sought a six-and-a-half-year sentence for Moreno.
The former president has vowed to appeal the judgment.
