Lenín Moreno: Former Ecuadorian president imprisoned for corruption - BBC News

Lenín Moreno denies taking bribes from a Chinese firm to secure a contract to build a hydroelectric plant.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lenín Moreno will serve his sentence at home and has indicated he will appeal against the ruling

A former president of Ecuador has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of taking bribes.

Lenín Moreno insisted he had not taken money from a Chinese firm which secured a contract to build a hydroelectric plant in the Latin American nation.

The 73-year-old will serve his sentence under house arrest due to his age and disability, and has already indicated his intention to appeal against the verdict after a court in the capital, Quito, found him and 19 others guilty of corruption.

Moreno, who was president between 2017 and 2021, is the third former Ecuadorian leader to be sentenced for corruption.