An Ecuadoran court has sentenced former President Lenin Moreno to five years in prison for his involvement in a bribery scandal related to the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric dam. The ruling, delivered on Friday, marks a significant legal setback for the ex-leader, who governed from 2017 to 2021.

The court found Moreno guilty of accepting bribes from Sinohydro, a Chinese company that was awarded the contract for the dam, which is Ecuador's largest hydroelectric project. The prosecution revealed that bribes amounting to $76 million were paid, representing approximately four percent of the total project cost. Moreno was one of 20 individuals convicted in the case, which also implicated several other officials and managers connected to the power plant.

Moreno's political career has been tumultuous, having initially served as vice-president under Rafael Correa, a socialist leader. Their relationship soured after Moreno shifted his political stance to the right and began aligning more closely with the United States. This shift led to a public fallout between the two, with Moreno claiming that Correa, who is currently living in Belgium after being convicted of corruption himself, orchestrated the legal actions against him.

Following the court's decision, Moreno announced his intention to appeal the ruling. He maintained his innocence, asserting that he had never received any payments from Sinohydro. "I have not received a single cent from them," he stated, attributing the charges to a vendetta from his former ally-turned-adversary.

In addition to Moreno, his wife and other family members were also sentenced to nearly three years in prison for their roles in the corruption case. The prosecution had originally sought a six-and-a-half-year sentence for the former president, reflecting the severity of the allegations.

As the legal proceedings unfold, this case highlights ongoing concerns about corruption within Ecuador's political landscape, particularly regarding the relationships between government officials and foreign companies. The Coca Codo Sinclair dam project, which was completed in 2016, has been a focal point of scrutiny, and the fallout from this scandal is likely to reverberate through Ecuadorian politics for some time to come.