Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno has been sentenced to five years in prison after a court found him guilty of accepting bribes connected to the construction of the country’s largest hydroelectric project.
The 73-year-old former president was convicted on Friday, August 28, 2026, in the high-profile Sinohydro corruption case, which centred on the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant by Chinese state-owned company Sinohydro.
Moreno, who served as Ecuador’s president between 2017 and 2021, was vice-president under former President Rafael Correa from 2007 to 2013, when prosecutors said the alleged corruption took place.
Prosecutors alleged that approximately $76 million in bribes, equivalent to about four per cent of the value of the hydroelectric project, were paid through a network of companies and individuals connected to the project.
The investigation alleged that more than $1 million ultimately reached Moreno and members of his family through offshore arrangements and fraudulent consulting contracts. The broader scheme was said to have operated between 2009 and 2018.
The court also imposed a permanent ban on Moreno holding public office. His wife, Rocío González, daughter Irene Moreno, and brothers Guillermo and Edwin Moreno were each sentenced to two years and six months after being convicted as accomplices.
Other people convicted in the case included Conto Patiño, who was described as a lobbyist, as well as former Chinese ambassador to Ecuador Cai Runguo and two executives of Sinohydro. Cai and the two executives received five-year prison sentences.
Moreno, who is paraplegic and previously served as a United Nations special envoy on disability issues, has denied receiving any illicit payment from Sinohydro.
Following the judgment, the former president said he had never received “a single cent” from the Chinese company and accused the administration of his former political ally, Correa, of pursuing the case as an act of revenge.
Moreno and Correa were once political allies, with Correa supporting Moreno’s rise to the presidency. Their relationship later deteriorated after Moreno shifted politically and moved closer to the United States.
The Coca Codo Sinclair project, which began construction in 2010 and was completed in 2016, is Ecuador’s largest hydroelectric facility and has itself faced criticism over structural and operational problems.
Moreno has indicated that he will appeal the conviction, meaning the legal battle over his role in the bribery scandal is not necessarily over.