Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of taking bribes. The 73-year-old will serve his sentence under house arrest due to his age and disability.
Mr Moreno, who was president between 2017 and 2021, denied taking money from a Chinese firm, Sinohydro, which secured a contract to build the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric plant. He has indicated his intention to appeal against the verdict, handed down by a court in Quito, which also found 19 others guilty of corruption.
Prosecutors alleged that Sinohydro, owned by the Chinese state, paid $76.1m (£56.2m) through shell companies to individuals involved in the deal. Among those also sentenced were Mr Moreno's wife, daughter, brother, former plant managers, Sinohydro representatives, and a Chinese ambassador to Ecuador. Prosecutors said family members received tens of thousands of dollars, while Mr Moreno was alleged to have received very little.
Those convicted of bribery will be required to repay three times the amount they received, and Mr Moreno has been barred from public office. He blamed another former president, Rafael Correa, under whom he served as vice-president, for signing off on the project.