The Attorney General of Ecuador reported yesterday Wednesday that former President Lenín Moreno, his wife and daughter, and 33 other people would be related to a transnational corruption network, for which reason she requested the Court of Justice to hold a hearing to formulate charges in her case. against for alleged bribery.
Prosecutor Diana Salazar assured in a message broadcast through official channels and networks that the investigation of more than two years into the Coca Codo Sinclaire hydroelectric project, “reveals a structure of corruption” by which the Chinese company Sinohydro, in charge of the construction, delivered some 76 million dollars “in kickbacks (bribes) … channeled through third parties” through a “false image of consulting and representation services.”
Moreno reacted to the Prosecutor’s announcement and in a statement disclaimed the accusations. “I do not have nor did I have any responsibility in the contracting of work”, whose project, he emphasized, was in charge of the authorities at the time, he pointed out.
The ex-governor clarified that his only competence while he was the Vice President of the Republic was the execution of the Manuela Espejo program related to social assistance programs for people with disabilities. In addition, he expressed surprise that he excluded from the formulation of charges those who did have responsibility in the contracting stages of the hydroelectric plant, considered the “most emblematic” of the government of Rafael Correa, he highlighted. He didn’t mention anyone.
Institutionality
Moreno assured that, respectful of the State’s institutionality, he will defend himself “with adherence to the truth” in defense of his reputation and that of his family.
The illegal actions would have occurred between 2009 and 2018, when Moreno held the position of vice president in the government of Rafael Correa. Criminal assistance from countries such as Panama, Belize, Switzerland, the United States, China and Spain were decisive because “they help to reliably demonstrate the configuration of the crime and its scope outside the national territory,” Salazar asserted.
The head of the State Prosecutor’s Office asked the judicial body to set the date and time for the hearing.
