An Ecuadorian court on Friday found former President Lenín Moreno directly responsible for bribery in a case tied to the US$76.1 million hydroelectric plant contract awarded to China’s Sinohydro between 2009 and 2018.
The Quito-based tribunal declared Moreno guilty of accepting over US$1 million in bribes through a scheme involving fake consulting services and shell companies, according to the prosecutor’s office. The payments were allegedly funneled to Moreno, his family members and associates via foreign bank accounts and tax havens.
Judge Manuel Cabrera, the reporting judge who delivered the verdict, stated that Moreno’s conduct met the criteria for direct perpetration of bribery as a public official. The court’s decision follows a trial in which prosecutors presented evidence linking Moreno’s actions as Vice President—from 2007 to 2013—to the awarding of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project, which began operations in 2016.
Moreno, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, returned to Ecuador from Paraguay, where he had been living in recent years, to face the proceedings. He denied the allegations during the trial, asserting he received no payments from Sinohydro and vowing to prove his innocence and that of his family.
The case centers on allegations that Sinohydro paid US$76.1 million in bribes to secure the contract, with a portion allegedly diverted to Moreno’s network. The hydroelectric plant, Ecuador’s largest, has been a focal point of corruption investigations since its completion. The ruling marks a significant development in Ecuador’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts, which have targeted officials across multiple administrations.
