Ecuador Jails Ex-President Lenin Moreno for 5 Years in Bribery Case

An Ecuadorian court has sentenced former president Lenin Moreno to five years’ imprisonment after convicting him of accepting bribes from a Chinese company in return for awarding it a contract to build a hydroelectric power station.

Moreno, who attended the sentencing hearing, is 73 years old and lives with a physical disability that prevents him from walking. He will serve his sentence under house arrest.

The bribery scheme and co-defendants

The court found Moreno guilty as a direct participant in the bribery scheme during his tenure as vice president under Rafael Correa. His wife, daughter, two brothers, and son-in-law were also convicted of complicity.

The court sentenced Moreno’s wife and daughter to 30 months each in prison. It ordered all convicted individuals—including Moreno’s wife, daughter, brothers, and son-in-law—to repay three times the amount they received unlawfully within 90 days.

Historical context of corruption rulings

Moreno is the third former Ecuadorian president to receive a corruption-related sentence. However, the charges against him stem from acts committed before he assumed the presidency.