The prosecutor, Diana Salazar, this Friday requested the detention of Ecuador’s former president, Lenin Moreno, six of his relatives and 30 others for alleged bribery. According to Salazar, Moreno and his family circle, which includes his wife, his daughter, two brothers and their sisters-in-law, allegedly received $660,000 in bribes from Sinohotro, the Chinese construction company contracted to build Coco Codeau Sinclair. Hydroelectric power station.
After being suspended twice, the prosecutor requested the detention of 37 people involved in a hearing to frame charges this Friday in Quito, where 14 people over 65, including former President Lenin Moreno, must comply in their homes. In addition, he ordered bank accounts to be shaken up nationally, and requested international criminal assistance to Switzerland, Spain, Panama, China, Paraguay, the United States and Belize to secure accounts held by criminals in those countries.
The hypothesis of the prosecutor’s office is that between 2009 and 2018 the illegal activities would have taken place when Moreno was vice president in the government of Rafael Correa. The amount of the alleged bribery was 76 million dollars, 4% of the initial contract value of 1,979 million dollars, although the country eventually paid 2,245 million for the dam. Salazar explained that between 2009 and 2018, $76 million was moved through the national and international financial system, in what he described as the largest corruption case ever prosecuted in this country.
Lenin Moreno has been in Paraguay since his term ends in 2021 after being nominated as the Organization of American States (OAS) Commissioner for Disability Issues.
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