Ecuador's former president Lenín Moreno is sentenced to five years after taking $75m in Chinese bribes

Three judges unanimously convicted Lenín Moreno of accepting bribes from Chinese state-linked firm Sinohydro Corp while he served as Ecuador's vice president in 2010. The court found he exercised direct power over financing a major hydroelectric project, with more than $75 million funnelled to recipients including Moreno himself. National Court top judge Manuel Cabrera delivered the verdict, sentencing the ex-president to five years.

The bribe money came from Sinohydro Corp, a Chinese state-backed construction giant, as part of a deal tied to a large Ecuadorian power project.

Moreno arrived at the National Court in Quito alongside his wife, Rocio Gonzalez Navas, to hear the unanimous ruling against him.

The case is part of a broader pattern of China-linked bribery cases across Latin America tied to major infrastructure contracts.