Former Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno has been sentenced to five\nyears in prison by a court in connection with a corruption case. Moreno\nwas found guilty of accepting bribes from a Chinese company that built\nEcuador\u2019s largest hydroelectric power plant.<\/p>\n
Moreno, who served as President of Ecuador from 2017 to 2021, was\namong 20 defendants found guilty in the case involving the construction\nof the Coca Codo Sinclair dam by a Chinese company named Sinohydro. The\ncorruption took place between 2007 and 2013, when Moreno was serving as\nVice President under socialist President Rafael Correa.<\/p>\n
He succeeded Correa with the latter\u2019s support, but later fell out\nwith his mentor after shifting to the right and forging closer ties with\nthe United States.<\/p>\n
Moreno has announced plans to appeal the court\u2019s ruling. Ecuadorian\nprosecutors had previously sought a sentence of 6.5 years for Moreno. In\nthe same case, Moreno\u2019s wife and other relatives were sentenced to\nnearly three years in prison for their involvement.<\/p>\n
After the verdict was handed down on Friday, Moreno insisted he had\nnever received \u2018a single penny\u2019 from Sinohydro. He linked the case to\nthe \u2018Correa regime\u2019, claiming that his former backer, now his rival, had\n\u2018promised to take revenge on me\u2019. Correa has also been convicted of\ncorruption, but he resides in Belgium.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors alleged that Sinohydro paid bribes totalling US$76\nmillion, approximately four per cent of the hydroelectric project\u2019s\ncost. Among those convicted alongside Moreno in the case were two former\nmanagers of the hydroelectric plant operator.<\/p>\n
Moreno, now 73 years old and suffering from paraplegia, previously\nserved as a United Nations special envoy for disability issues.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-ecuadorian-president-sentenced-to-5-years-in-prison-for-corruption-1787997099", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }