Former Ecuadorian president imprisoned for corruption

Former Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno has been sentenced to 5 years in prison after being found guilty of accepting bribes. Moreno insisted he had not taken wealth from a Chinese company which secured a declaration to build a hydroelectric works in Ecuador. The 73‑year‑old will serve his sentence under house arrest because of his age and disability, and has already indicated his intention to appeal the verdict delivered by a tribunal in Quito that found him and 19 others guilty of corruption. Moreno, who held the presidency from 2017 to 2021, is the third former Ecuadorian president to be sentenced for corruption. Prosecutors alleged that Sinohydro, a firm owned by the Chinese state, paid a total of $76.1m (£56.2m) through ammunition companies to individuals involved in the deal to secure operation of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam. Those handed prison sentences include Moreno’s wife, daughter, brother, former plant managers, Sinohydro representatives and the Chinese ambassador to Ecuador. While Moreno himself was alleged to have received only a small amount, prosecutors said his family members received tens of thousands of dollars. Those convicted of bribery must repay three times what they were given, and Moreno was barred from holding public office. He denied participation in the alleged bribery scheme and instead blamed former president Rafael Correa, under whom he served as vice‑president, who was sentenced to 8 years in prison in a separate bribery case in 2020. Moreno argued that Correa had signed off on the Coca Codo Sinclair project, and that he had launched an investigation into problems with the dam after assuming the presidency. Ecuadorian authorities initiated legal proceedings against Sinohydro in 2021 after cracks appeared in the dam and other technical failures emerged; the case concluded earlier this year with a $400m settlement with the firm’s owner. The BBC has approached Sinohydro and the Chinese embassy in Ecuador for comment.