Ecuador's former President Moreno and Chinese ambassador appeal to avoid prison sentence

Ecuador's former President Lenin Moreno and the former Chinese ambassador to Quito have appealed to the country's highest court to overturn the five-year prison sentences handed to them in a $76 million bribery scandal. The court ruled that Moreno accepted bribes in the tendering of Ecuador's largest hydroelectric plant project to a Chinese state-owned company.

A three-judge panel concluded by consensus that Moreno used his position to influence the tender process and accepted bribes while serving as vice president from 2007-2013. The former Chinese ambassador received the same sentence on grounds of playing a behind-the-scenes role in the process.

This case has reignited debates over the transparency of China's Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure investments in Latin America and governance transparency. The Ecuadorian judiciary is displaying a rarely seen determination in prosecuting former high-ranking officials.