An Ecuadorian court sentenced former President Lenin Moreno to five years in prison for bribery involving a Chinese state-owned company in exchange for the concession to build the country's largest hydropower dam. The court also sentenced his wife and family members. Moreno maintains his innocence, claiming political retaliation, and plans to appeal the verdict.
A court in Quito, Ecuador, sentenced 73-year-old former President Lenin Moreno to five years in prison after finding him guilty of accepting bribes from Sinohydro, a Chinese state-owned company, related to the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower dam, the largest such project in the country.
Due to Moreno's age of 73 and his disability, the court permitted him to serve his sentence under house arrest. Additionally, the court sentenced 19 co-defendants, including Moreno's wife, daughter, and brother, to nearly three years in prison for conspiracy, along with former project executives and the former Chinese ambassador to Ecuador.
The Attorney General of Ecuador revealed that Sinohydro paid bribes totaling $76.1 million (approximately 2.6 billion baht) through multiple nominee companies to individuals involved in approving the project, representing about 4% of the project's total value. While Moreno received only a small direct amount, prosecutors and analysts found that his relatives and close associates received tens of thousands of US dollars.
The verdict also stated that those found guilty of bribery must repay triple the amount received as bribes. Moreno was banned from holding any political office for life.
Moreno, who served as vice president from 2007 to 2013 under former President Rafael Correa before becoming president himself from 2017 to 2021, asserted his innocence, stating he never received "a single cent" from the Chinese company.
Moreno argued that the dam contract was signed during Correa's administration, who is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for another bribery case and is in exile in Belgium. Moreno claimed that after he took office and shifted policy toward the United States, Correa saw him as a traitor and sought revenge. He called the case political opposition games and said he intends to appeal.
Tracing the troubled dam project, the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower dam has been a major problem for Ecuador. In 2021, the Ecuadorian government filed legal action against Sinohydro after severe cracks and multiple engineering defects were found in the dam, leading to a settlement agreement for $400 million in damages earlier this year.
Moreno is the third former president of Ecuador to be sentenced to prison for corruption.