Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1232 EAT on Saturday 29 August 2026

An Ecuadorian court has found former President Lenin Moreno guilty of bribery in a case tied to the construction of the country’s largest hydroelectric plant, the public prosecutor’s office said on Friday.

Moreno, 73, was sentenced to five years in prison and has been permanently barred from holding any public office in the future

The Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation in March 2023, linking Moreno, members of his family, and local and Chinese business partners to an alleged corruption network connected to the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant. The facility began operating in 2016 but has experienced technical problems since then.

“Lenín Moreno’s conduct is consistent with the charges brought by the prosecution: the crime of bribery attributed to a public official,” Judge Manuel Cabrera, head of the tribunal, said while delivering the ruling.

The Attorney General’s Office alleged that Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro paid about $76.1 million in bribes between 2009 and 2018 through fraudulent consulting contracts.

Moreno’s wife and daughter, as well as 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, was also sentenced to five years in prison.

Investigators alleged that the funds were transferred through overseas accounts and shell companies in tax havens before being channelled to Moreno’s family and associates.

Prosecutors said Moreno and his close relatives received more than $1 million while he was serving as vice president between 2007 and 2013.

Moreno has consistently denied the allegations, insisting that he had no role in signing or overseeing contracts related to the project.

“You’re looking in the wrong place. Look at those who signed the contracts, at those who had the habit of demanding kickbacks,” Moreno told the court during the hearing.

Moreno, who served as Ecuador’s president from 2017 to 2021, returned to the country from Paraguay to face trial.

-Aljazeera

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