Ecuador court sentences ex-president Moreno to house arrest for Coca Codo Sinclair bribery
An Ecuadorian court on Friday sentenced former President Lenín Moreno to five years in prison for bribery tied to the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant, the public prosecutor’s office said. Moreno, 73, who uses a wheelchair, will serve his sentence under house arrest and has been permanently barred from holding public office. He announced he would appeal the ruling.
The court found Moreno guilty of participating in a corruption network that operated from 2009 to 2018, during which Chinese state-owned firm Sinohydro allegedly paid $76.1 million in bribes through fraudulent consulting contracts, according to prosecutors. Judge Manuel Cabrera said Moreno’s conduct aligned with the charges of bribery as a public official.
Moreno’s wife, Rocío González, and daughter, Irina Moreno, were convicted as accomplices and sentenced to 30 months in prison. Two of Moreno’s brothers, their wives, and a brother-in-law also received sentences of two and a half years. Cai Runguo, China’s former ambassador to Quito, was sentenced to five years in prison.
Prosecutors alleged that Sinohydro’s bribes, totaling 4% of the project’s value, were funneled through overseas accounts and shell companies in tax havens before reaching Moreno’s family and associates. They said Moreno and his relatives received over $1 million while he served as vice president from 2007 to 2013 under then-President Rafael Correa.
Moreno denied the allegations, stating he “did not receive a single cent from Sinohydro” and accused Correa of orchestrating political persecution. During the hearing, 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.”
The Coca Codo Sinclair plant, Ecuador’s largest hydroelectric facility, began operating in 2016 and has since faced technical issues. Sinohydro started construction in 2010 and handed over the roughly $2 billion project to Ecuador in 2016.
Moreno served as president from 2017 to 2021 after initially rising to prominence as Correa’s vice president. Correa, who governed Ecuador from 2007 to 2017, was sentenced in absentia in 2020 to eight years in prison for corruption in a separate case involving Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht and has lived in Belgium since leaving office.
The attorney general’s office launched its investigation into the Coca Codo Sinclair case in March 2023, linking Moreno, his family, and business partners to the alleged corruption scheme. The court also ordered the permanent disqualification of all convicted individuals from public office and state contracts.
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mastodon bot · about 5 hours ago
Ecuador sentences ex-president Moreno to five years in jail in bribery case Lenin Moreno, 73, has also been permanently barred from holding any public office in the future.
aljazeera · about 5 hours ago
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