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Ex-Ecuador President Moreno maintains innocence after bribery conviction Image: 213031+0000 RODRIGO BUENDIA
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Ex-Ecuador President Moreno maintains innocence after bribery conviction

From ABC Color · () Spanish

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

At a glance

News Sources not specified In the courts
  • Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno has been declared guilty of bribery by a court.
  • The court found Moreno accepted bribes to favor Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro in a major hydroelectric plant project.
  • Moreno maintains his innocence, stating he did not sign any related documents or receive any money from Sinohydro.

Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno has asserted his innocence following a court's guilty verdict on bribery charges. A tribunal found Moreno culpable of accepting kickbacks to benefit the Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro during the construction of Ecuador's largest hydroelectric power plant. Moreno served as vice president under Rafael Correa before assuming the presidency from 2017 to 2021.

I did not sign at any time, nor did I make any arrangement, omission, or appointment related to that project... I have not received a single cent from Sinohydro.

— Lenín MorenoThe former president's declaration of innocence during his bribery trial.

During a recess in the sentencing hearing at the National Court of Justice, Moreno stated, "I did not sign at any time, nor did I make any arrangement, omission, or appointment related to that project... I have not received a single cent from Sinohydro." The magistrates indicated that the Chinese company allegedly paid millions to a business circle, which then distributed the funds to various entities and individuals, including members of Moreno's family. The specific sentences are yet to be announced.

In what moment did I intervene? In the construction, no, the construction was done by Jorge Glas by order of Rafael Correa.

— Lenín MorenoDenying direct involvement in the construction of the hydroelectric plant.

The prosecution had previously requested a six-year and six-month prison sentence for Moreno, his wife Rocío González, and their daughter Irina Moreno, who were also found guilty as accomplices. Seventeen other individuals are also implicated, including former Chinese Ambassador Cai Runguo, as well as Moreno's siblings and friends.

The construction was done by Jorge Glas by order of Rafael Correa.

— Lenín MorenoAttributing the construction management to a former official under Rafael Correa.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, Moreno and his family allegedly received over $1 million USD from a total of $76 million USD in bribes paid by Sinohydro for the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant. However, Moreno countered that it was former President Correa who signed a "government-to-government" contract with China, which mandated financing through Eximbank. Moreno argued that his involvement in the project's construction was minimal, stating that Jorge Glas, under Correa's orders, managed the construction. Moreno also claimed that upon becoming president, his first action was to investigate the poorly executed projects, including the hydroelectric plant, which he said had 17,000 fissures.

You are looking in the wrong place.

— Lenín MorenoAdvising the prosecutor general to investigate those who signed contracts and habitually requested commissions.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color 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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