Former Ecuadorian president sentenced to 5 years in prison for $76 million corruption

Former Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of a $76 million corruption case, Reuters reported.

On August 28, an Ecuadorian court convicted Moreno, 73, of taking bribes in the construction of the country's largest hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in the Andes region. The verdict also bars him from holding public office for life. The attorney general's office opened an investigation into the case in March 2023.

According to the investigation, Moreno and his family members, as well as their local and Chinese associates, including China's former ambassador to Quito, Ecuador's capital, were involved in the corruption ring. The case concerns the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair plant, which has been plagued by technical problems since it began operating in 2016.

The judge, Manuel Cabrera, who read the verdict, said: “Lenin Moreno’s actions are fully consistent with the prosecution’s accusation. He accepted bribes as a public servant.”

The former president’s wife and daughter were also found guilty and sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison. His two brothers and a sister-in-law were also sentenced to the same term. Former Chinese ambassador to Quito Sai Rungo was sentenced to 5 years in prison. Initially, prosecutors had requested more than 6 years in prison for Moreno and 19 other defendants.

The Attorney General’s Office said that between 2009 and 2018, the Chinese company Sinohydro paid bribes totaling around $76.1 million through fraudulent consulting contracts. Investigators say the money was first deposited in foreign bank accounts and then transferred to Moreno’s family and associates through shell companies in tax-free territories (offshore).

According to the prosecutor's office, Moreno served as vice president from 2007 to 2013. It was during these years that he and his close relatives received more than $ 1 million.

Moreno, 73, has always denied the charges. He said that he had nothing to do with signing or supervising the project contracts. In his speech in court, Moreno said: "My advice to the prosecutor: you are looking in the wrong place. Look at who signed the contracts. Find people who are accustomed to constantly demanding bribes. You are completely wrong."

For information, Moreno was president of Ecuador from 2017 to 2021. He returned to his homeland from Paraguay to participate in this trial.

Earlier, it was reported that former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan was taken from the courtroom to the hospital. The politician, accused of corruption, was hospitalized on the instructions of doctors. The court hearing in his case continued with only lawyers present.