Sentencing of former President Lenin Moreno
An Ecuadorian court on Friday sentenced former President Lenin Moreno to five years in prison after finding him guilty of bribery in a case tied to the construction of the country's largest hydroelectric plant, the public prosecutor's office said. Moreno, 73, was also permanently barred from holding any public office in the future.
Moreno, who was present for the reading of the verdict, has a physical disability that prevents him from walking, and he will serve the sentence under house arrest, according to The Hindu.
Judge Manuel Cabrera, head of the tribunal, said while delivering the ruling: "Lenin Moreno's conduct is consistent with the charges brought by the prosecution: the crime of bribery attributed to a public official."
Background of the case
The bribery case was connected to the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant, which Chinese state-owned firm Sinohydro began building in 2010 and handed over to Ecuador in 2016. The project, which cost roughly $2 billion, has since faced criticism over structural defects and technical problems, as reported by both Al Jazeera and The Hindu.
The attorney general's office launched an investigation in March 2023, linking Moreno, his family members, and local and Chinese business partners to an alleged corruption network connected to the plant, Al Jazeera reported.
Prosecutors said a corruption network operated from 2008 to 2018, collecting bribes equal to 4% of the value of the project carried out by Sinohydro. They alleged the money was distributed through domestic and international transactions to public officials and other beneficiaries, including Moreno. Investigators said the funds moved through overseas accounts and shell companies in tax havens before reaching Moreno's family and associates, according to Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera also reported that Chinese state-owned firm Sinohydro paid roughly $76.1 million in bribes between 2009 and 2018 through fraudulent consulting contracts. Prosecutors said Moreno and his close relatives received more than $1 million while he served as vice president from 2007 to 2013.
Convictions and sentences
Moreno was convicted as a direct participant in the bribery scheme during his tenure as vice president under Rafael Correa, The Hindu reported. His wife and daughter, two brothers, and a brother-in-law were convicted as accomplices, with the wife and daughter each receiving 30-month sentences, according to The Hindu. Al Jazeera reported that Moreno's wife and daughter, along with his two brothers and their wives, were also convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Cai Runguo, China's former ambassador to Quito, also received a five-year sentence, Al Jazeera reported.
Moreno's response
Moreno has consistently denied the allegations, insisting he had no role in signing or overseeing the project's contracts, as reported by Al Jazeera. He told the court: "You're looking in the wrong place. Look at those who signed the contracts, at those who had the habit of demanding kickbacks."
Context of corruption cases in Ecuador
Moreno is the third former Ecuadorian president to be sentenced for corruption, though he was tried for crimes before reaching the presidency, The Hindu reported. Correa was sentenced in 2020 to eight years in prison in a bribery case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht but remains in Belgium, where he has lived for years. Former President Jamil Mahuad was sentenced in 2014 to eight years for misuse of public funds, and another former president, Abdala Bucaram, is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of organised crime, according to The Hindu.
Moreno, a tourism entrepreneur, rose to national prominence in 2007 when he became vice president under Correa. In 2017, he won the presidency as a candidate of the Correísta movement founded around Correa, with Jorge Glas as his running mate. Glas later left office and is now serving a prison sentence for corruption, as reported by The Hindu.