Former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno charged with bribery

Ecuador's Attorney General's Office (FGE) announced Wednesday that the country's former President Lenin Moreno (2017-2021), will be prosecuted for the alleged crime of bribery in the case known as 'Ina Papers.'  It was opened in 2019, almost two years after Moreno took office.

The Ecuadorian Prosecutor's Office requested the National Court of Justice (CNJ) to hold a hearing to formulate charges against 37 people, including the former President's wife Rocio Gonzalez and his daughter Ina Moreno.

The case is called 'Sinohydro' by the Attorney General's Office and involves an alleged corruption network for the construction of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project. It was initially known as INA Paper due to Lenín Moreno's links with the offshore company INA Investment Corporation. 

According to Attorney General Diana Salazar, "the amount of the alleged bribe would be about 76 million dollars, which would correspond to approximately 4 percent of the contracted value for the work, which initially was almost 1 979 million dollars; although in practice its cost exceeded 2 245 million dollars."

In a public letter, Lenín Moreno today rejected the investigation of the Attorney General's Office. He said he was not responsible for contracting the "Coca Codo Sinclair project, which was in charge of the competent authorities of the time, while I exercised my functions as vice-president."

In this regard, Moreno said that in the case, "those who had responsibility and competencies in the different phases of the contractual process are not charged."

The Attorney General's Office's action comes at a time when "Ecuador is going through complex moments" and "Correism has declared itself the winner and the greatest political force in the country."