Ecuador Court Jails Former President Moreno Over Dam Scandal

​QUITO — An Ecuadorian national tribunal has found former President Lenín Moreno guilty of bribery, marking a historic legal reckoning tied to the construction of the country’s flagship infrastructure project, the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant.

​Moreno, 73, was handed a five-year prison sentence and permanently barred from holding public office. The ruling makes him one of the highest-profile political figures in modern Ecuadorian history to be formally convicted of corruption.

​Presiding Judge Manuel Cabrera delivered the verdict on Friday, stating that the former president’s actions directly aligned with charges of public corruption. Prosecutors successfully argued that a vast network of kickbacks bled into the highest levels of government while Moreno served as vice president under former leader Rafael Correa between 2007 and 2013.

​According to the attorney general’s office, Chinese state-owned engineering giant Sinohydro funneled roughly $76.1 million in bribes between 2009 and 2018. The illicit funds were reportedly masked through fraudulent consulting contracts and laundered across international borders via overseas accounts and shell companies stationed in tax havens. Investigators established that Moreno and his immediate circle pocketed upwards of $1 million of those funds.

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​The wide-ranging corruption web also ensnared members of Moreno’s family. His wife, daughter, two brothers, and sisters-in-law were convicted as accomplices and sentenced to two and a half years behind bars. In a notable diplomatic dimension, Cai Runguo, China’s former ambassador to Quito, was tried alongside local officials and handed a matching five-year prison term.

​The investigation originally began gathering steam in March 2023, focusing on structural and financial anomalies surrounding the Coca Codo Sinclair dam. Intended to be Ecuador’s premier energy asset, the massive hydroelectric facility has faced persistent technical glitches and operational setbacks since coming online in 2016.

​Throughout the lengthy legal proceedings, Moreno maintained his innocence, pointing fingers away from himself and claiming the prosecution targeted the wrong individuals. Having served as Ecuador’s president from 2017 to 2021, Moreno returned from self-imposed residence in Paraguay to face the judicial tribunal. Defense attorneys have signaled plans to mount a formal appeal against the conviction.