Former Ecuador President Lenín Moreno Sentenced to Five Years for Bribery
7 sources across 5 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- G1
- UOL
- CNN Brasil
- El Espectador
- Al Jazeera
- El Pais
- Bloomberg
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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An Ecuadorian court has sentenced former President Lenín Moreno to five years in prison for bribery related to the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant. The court found that Moreno, who served as vice president from 2007 to 2013, used his position to benefit the Chinese state owned company Sinohydro. According to the Attorney General's Office, Sinohydro paid approximately 76 million dollars in bribes between 2009 and 2018 through fraudulent consulting contracts. Investigators alleged that these funds were moved through shell companies in tax havens, with Moreno and his close relatives receiving more than 1 million dollars.
Several other individuals were also convicted. Moreno's wife, daughter, and other family members received sentences of approximately two and a half to three years for complicity. Former Chinese ambassador Cai Runguo was also sentenced to five years in prison. In addition to the prison term, Moreno has been permanently barred from holding public office.
Moreno, 73, has consistently denied the allegations. During the proceedings, he argued that he had no role in signing or overseeing the project contracts and suggested that prosecutors were looking in the wrong place. He stated his intention to appeal the conviction. The Coca Codo Sinclair plant, which began operating in 2016, has been noted for experiencing technical problems since its inception.
Moreno served as president from 2017 to 2021 after a political break with his former ally, Rafael Correa. Correa, who governed Ecuador for a decade, currently lives in Belgium after being convicted in a separate corruption case involving the company Odebrecht.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets focused on the legal details of the bribery scheme and provided political context regarding Moreno's relationship with Rafael Correa.
- Centre
- These outlets emphasized the judicial process and the specific mechanisms of the corruption, such as the use of shell companies and tax havens.
Sources
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Ecuador sentences ex-president Moreno to five years in jail in bribery case
- Centre Bloomberg: Ecuador Court Convicts Former President Moreno of Taking Bribes
- Centre CNN Brasil: Ecuador convicts former president in bribery case involving hydroelectric plant
- Centre-left El Espectador: Ecuador: justice declares former president Lenín Moreno guilty of receiving bribes
- Centre-left El Pais: Former president of Ecuador Lenin Moreno, convicted of receiving bribes
- Centre-left G1: Ecuador: Justice sentences former president Lenín Moreno to 5 years in prison for corruption
- Centre-left UOL: Former president of Ecuador is sentenced to five years in prison for corruption
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.