Ecuador's Lenin Moreno Sentenced to Five Years for Bribery

On Friday, an Ecuadorian court sentenced former President Lenin Moreno to five years in prison after convicting him of accepting bribes from the Chinese firm Sinohydro, which constructed the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam. The court found Moreno, 73, guilty alongside 19 others, including his wife and relatives, who received nearly three-year sentences for complicity.

The bribery scheme, which prosecutors claim involved $76 million—approximately four percent of the dam's total cost—occurred between 2007 and 2013 when Moreno served as vice-president under Rafael Correa. Despite the ruling, Moreno, who is paraplegic and previously served as the United Nations special envoy on disability issues, asserted his innocence, claiming he never received any money from Sinohydro and accused Correa of orchestrating the prosecution against him.

Moreno plans to appeal the court's decision, which was less severe than the six-and-a-half-year sentence sought by prosecutors.