Law & Justice
Lenin Moreno and six others get 5 years for bribery
Former Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno and six other people have been sentenced to five years in prison in a bribery case linked to a Chinese-built hydroelectric dam, Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said.
The office said a trial court found Moreno guilty of bribery and imposed the same sentence on six others, including a former Chinese ambassador.
The case is linked to the Coca Codo Sinclair dam, Ecuador’s biggest hydroelectric project, which was built by Chinese company Sinohydro. Prosecutors say Sinohydro paid $76 million in bribes, about four percent of the project’s cost.
Moreno governed Ecuador from 2017 to 2021. He was vice president under Rafael Correa during the alleged corruption period, between 2007 and 2013.
After the ruling, Moreno denied receiving “a single cent” from Sinohydro. He blamed the case on “the Correa regime” and said Correa, once his ally and later his rival, had promised revenge.
Update
Ecuador's attorney general's office said Lenin Moreno was sentenced to five years in prison.
The office said six other people were sentenced with Moreno.
The six others included a former Chinese ambassador, according to the attorney general's office.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 02:39:28 UTC.
Update
Former Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 August 2026 at 02:04:44 UTC.
Update
The Quito court has not yet sentenced Lenin Moreno, who remains free pending sentencing.
Prosecutors have asked for a six-and-a-half-year prison term.
Moreno denied receiving money from Sinohydro and blamed the case on Rafael Correa's side.
Prosecutors say Sinohydro paid $76 million in bribes, about four percent of the hydroelectric project's cost.
The case involves the Coca Codo Sinclair dam, Ecuador's biggest hydroelectric dam.
Three other Ecuadorian nationals were convicted alongside Moreno, including two former managers of the power plant.
Around 20 people have been implicated in the case, including Moreno's wife, his daughter, businesspeople and a former Chinese ambassador to Quito.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 22:16:21 UTC.
Update
An Ecuadorian court convicted Lenin Moreno of accepting millions of dollars in bribes.
The case relates to construction of a hydroelectric plant built by Chinese company Sinohydro when Moreno was vice-president.
Ecuador's Attorney General's office said Moreno was among four people convicted in the case.
Source note: AFP news report published on 28 August 2026 at 21:32:22 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The names of all six other sentenced people were not provided.
Any appeal plans or the timing of imprisonment were not stated.
Source
AFP news report published on .