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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Crime & Justice

Ecuador court rules on Sinohydro case involving ex-President Moreno

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement In the courts
  • Ecuador's National Court of Justice is issuing its ruling in the Sinohydro bribery case concerning the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project.
  • The court has declared the legal process valid, rejecting defense claims of due process violations and upholding the admissibility of key evidence.
  • Former President Lenín Moreno is among the 21 defendants, with the prosecution alleging bribery payments by the Chinese firm Sinohydro to secure the project contract.

Ecuador's National Court of Justice has begun delivering its verdict in the high-profile Sinohydro case, which centers on allegations of bribery connected to the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant. The court has unanimously declared the legal proceedings valid, dismissing defense arguments concerning procedural irregularities and violations of due process.

declared the validity of the criminal proceedings

— Judge CabreraAnnouncing the court's decision on the procedural integrity of the case.

Judges rejected objections to the inclusion of digital evidence, including compact discs and financial information submitted by the Internal Revenue Service (SRI) and a private financial institution. They determined these digital records were presented appropriately under the principle of evidence unity. However, the court did exclude certain documentary evidence presented by the prosecution, including a contract in a foreign language that lacked expert translation testimony, and a diplomatic report related to China deemed irrelevant to the case.

rejected objections related to the incorporation of compact discs and tax and banking information

— The TribunalRegarding the admissibility of evidence presented by the prosecution.

Former President Lenín Moreno, identified by the prosecution as a direct perpetrator, was present for the reading of the decision. The prosecution contends that the Chinese construction company Sinohydro paid $76.1 million in bribes to secure the contract for the Coca Codo Sinclair project and its financing. The case also implicates other individuals, including former Vice President Moreno, who are accused of receiving funds through offshore companies.

excluded documentary evidence number eight from the Prosecution, corresponding to a contract drafted in another language

— The judgesExplaining the exclusion of a specific piece of evidence due to translation issues.

The court will now proceed to analyze the prosecution's accusations, determining the degrees of authorship and complicity based on the constitutional principle of penal favorability. Until the full scope of the decision is announced, all defendants are presumed innocent. The ongoing hearing signifies a critical juncture in a case that has cast a shadow over a major infrastructure project.

The prosecution maintains that the Chinese construction company Sinohydro allegedly paid $76.1 million in bribes to obtain the awarding of Coca Codo Sinclair and secure financing for the work.

— The prosecutionOutlining the core accusation of bribery in the case.
About this summary

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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