Ecuador jails ex-President Moreno five years for bribery

On 28 August 2026, Ecuador's National Court of Justice convicted former President Lenín Moreno of bribery in the Sinohydro case. The tribunal sentenced Moreno to five years in prison, a permanent ban from public office, and integral reparation, totaling over US$163 million. Moreno, 73 and a wheelchair user due to a spinal injury sustained in 1998, will serve his sentence at home.

The Sinohydro bribery case involved the construction of a power plant in Ecuador by the Chinese state construction group Sinohydro. Prosecutors alleged that Moreno, as Vice President from 2007 to 2013 and President from 2017 to 2021, helped arrange the Chinese credit and interceded for the company within the government. The construction contract was valued at US$1.979 billion, with Sinohydro paying roughly US$76.1 million between 2009 and 2018.

Moreno was convicted as a direct author of the bribery, rather than as an accomplice. The tribunal also ordered 20 other people to be convicted, including Moreno's wife, daughter, and brothers, and two former Sinohydro representatives. Moreno appealed the ruling and stated he would remain in Ecuador despite the decision.