Overview
- The Corte Nacional de Justicia sentenced former president Lenín Moreno to five years in prison in a first‑instance ruling issued Saturday, August 29, 2026, for cohecho related to the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric contract.
- Judges concluded a network routed roughly US$76 million in alleged payments from Chinese contractor Sinohydro and found that Moreno and members of his close circle received more than US$1 million in benefits.
- The court also convicted Moreno’s wife, daughter and two brothers, handed multi‑year terms to associates including Conto Patiño and to former Chinese envoy Cai Runguo, and ordered financial reparations, fines and the suspension of political rights.
- Moreno denies taking money, has framed the trial as retaliation linked to Rafael Correa and announced he will appeal; the sentence is a first‑instance decision and authorities must still decide how any custodial term will be carried out given his age and medical condition.
- The case centers on Ecuador’s largest hydropower project, highlights the role of consultancies and offshore transfers in cross‑border corruption linked to Chinese state contractors, and could affect political accountability and legal appeals in Ecuador.