Former President Moreno Convicted in Bribery Scheme Spanning Multiple Administrations
Former Ecuadorian President Moreno sentenced to five years for bribery involving a $2 billion hydroelectric project.
Event / Politics
Ecuador Corruption Convictions
Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno sentenced to 5 years in prison for accepting bribes from Chinese company Sinohydro related to the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant. Family members also convicted as accomplices. Third former Ecuadorian president convicted of corruption.
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2026-08-30 to 2026-11-07 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 30 Aug, 03:19 UTC
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What happened
Sinohydro completed $2 billion Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant in 2016
Chinese company Sinohydro constructed the roughly $2 billion Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant, beginning construction in 2010 and handing it over to Ecuador in 2016. The project has since faced criticism over structural defects.
Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno sentenced to 5 years in prison for bribery
A court in Ecuador sentenced former President Lenín Moreno to 5 years in prison after finding him guilty of accepting bribes from Chinese company Sinohydro in exchange for helping it secure a contract to build the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant. Moreno, 73 years old, will serve the sentence under house arrest due to a physical disability. The bribery occurred during his tenure as vice president under Rafael Correa.
Former Vice President Jorge Glas serving prison sentence for corruption
Jorge Glas, who served as vice president under Moreno from 2017 onwards as his running mate, left office and is now serving a prison sentence for corruption.
Corruption network collected bribes equal to 4% of $2 billion hydroelectric project value
Prosecutors established that a corruption network operated from 2008 to 2018, collecting bribes equal to 4% of the value of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project carried out by Sinohydro. The money was distributed through domestic and international transactions to public officials and other beneficiaries including Moreno.
Third former Ecuadorian president sentenced for corruption
Moreno is the third former Ecuadorian president to be sentenced for corruption. Former President Rafael Correa was sentenced in 2020 to eight years in prison in a bribery case involving Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and remains in Belgium. Former President Jamil Mahuad was sentenced in 2014 to eight years for misuse of public funds. Former President Abdalá Bucaram was convicted of organized crime and awaits sentencing.
Moreno's family members convicted as accomplices in bribery scheme
Moreno's wife, daughter, two brothers, and a brother-in-law were convicted as accomplices in the bribery scheme. His wife and daughter each received 30-month sentences. All family members were ordered to repay triple the amount they received illicitly within 90 days.
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