Ecuadoran Ex-President Moreno Sentenced to Five Years for Bribery

An Ecuadoran court has sentenced former President Lenin Moreno to five years in prison for accepting bribes. The conviction is tied to the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam, the country's largest, built by China's Sinohydro.

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he had never received “a single cent” from Sinohydro.

Moreno, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, was found guilty along with 19 other individuals in connection with alleged corruption that occurred between 2007 and 2013. During that period, Moreno was vice-president under socialist President Rafael Correa. He later succeeded Correa but their relationship soured as Moreno shifted his political alignment.

Prosecutors had sought a six-and-a-half-year sentence for Moreno, who is 73 and paraplegic. He also served as the UN special envoy on disability issues. Following the ruling, Moreno maintained his innocence, stating he never received "a single cent" from Sinohydro. He accused his former mentor, Correa, of orchestrating the case as revenge.

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the Correa regime

According to prosecutors, Sinohydro paid approximately $76 million in bribes, which represented about four percent of the dam's construction cost. Two former managers of the power plant were also among those convicted. Moreno has announced plans to appeal the verdict, which also resulted in prison sentences of nearly three years for his wife and other relatives for complicity.

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promised to take revenge on me.