Ecuador sentences ex-president Moreno to five years in jail in bribery case

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters. Published On 29 Aug 202629 Aug 2026.

Key points

• The attorney general's office remarked Chinese state-owned firm Sinohydro paid roughly $76.1m in bribes between 2009 and 2018 through fraudulent consulting contracts.
• Moreno, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, returned to Ecuador from Paraguay to face trial.
• Moreno, 73, was sentenced to five years in prison and has been permanently barred from holding any public office going forward.
• The facility began operating in 2016 and has experienced technical challenges since.
• Investigators alleged the funds moved through overseas accounts and shell firms in tax havens before reaching Moreno's family and associates.

Notably, an Ecuadorian court has discovered 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 stated on Friday.

Notably, the attorney general's office introduced an investigation in March 2023, linking Moreno, his family members, and local and Chinese business partners to an alleged corruption network connected to the Coca Codo Sinclair plant. The facility began operating in 2016 and has experienced technical challenges since.

While delivering the ruling, "Lenin Moreno's conduct is consistent with the charges brought by the prosecution: the crime of bribery attributed to a public official, " remarked Judge Manuel Cabrera, head of the tribunal. The attorney general's office remarked Chinese state-owned firm Sinohydro paid roughly $76.1m in bribes between 2009 and 2018 through fraudulent consulting contracts.

Moreno's wife and daughter, along with his two brothers and their wives, were additionally convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Cai Runguo, China's former ambassador to Quito, additionally received a five-year sentence.

Investigators alleged the funds moved through overseas accounts and shell firms in tax havens before reaching Moreno's family and associates. Prosecutors remarked Moreno and his close relatives received more than $1m while he served as vice president from 2007 to 2013.

Moreno has consistently denied the allegations, insisting he had no role in signing or overseeing the project's contracts.

"You're looking in the wrong place. Look at those who signed the contracts, at those who had the habit of demanding kickbacks, " Moreno informed the court during the hearing.

For now, ecuador sentences ex-president Moreno to five years in jail in bribery case remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.