Former president Moreno returns to face bribery charges in Sinohydro case; Army bombs illegal mines; Fewer Ecuadorians apprehended at the U.S. border

Former President Lenin Moreno was in court Monday in Quito to face charges that he, his wife and daughter received millions of dollars in bribes from Sinohydro, the Chinese contractor for the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project. Moreno was vice president at the time the project was under construction.

Moreno and his family returned from their current home in Paraguay for the trial. Moreno claims he is innocent and says the charges against him are based on a “plan of revenge” by former president Rafael Correa, who he followed in office.

In addition to Moreno, 20 people are charged in the case, including the former Chinese ambassador to Ecuador.

Former president Lenin Moreno arriving at the Sinohydro trial Monday in Quito.

Prosecutors claim the defendants received more than $70 million in bribes from Sinohydro and that the bribery is partly to blame for structural defects at Coca Coda Sinclair that have plagued the project since it began operation. Sinohydro admits paying bribes but did not name Moreno as a recipient.

Designed to produce more than 1,700 megawatts of electricity, Coca Coda Sinclair has rarely generated more than 1,400mg and is currently operating at less than 50% of capacity due to thousands of cracks in turbines and siltation problems at the water inflow pools on the Rio Coca.

Army uses heavy artillery against illegal mining
In a press statement, the military Joint Command, said it had employed “combat tactics” against illegal gold mines in the Chical-El Pablo sector of Carchi Province. In two raids on Friday and Saturday, army helicopters dropped bombs on mines and mining camps while soldiers on the ground fired mortars and C90 grenades at the encampments.

Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo called the mission on the Ecuador-Colombia border “one of the largest in the country’s history” against illegal mining and said more such operations are planned. “Our revised mission is to attack the heart of illegal mining without mercy,” he said. “There is a network of organized crime groups and we are applying a very heavy hand to dismantle their operations.” He added that illegal mining generates $1.3 billion annually and is central to laundering proceeds from drug trafficking.

Number of Ecuadorians apprehended at the U.S. border drops
According to the latest report from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service, 557 Ecuadorians were apprehended in March and April at the U.S. border with Mexico. In the same months of 2025, 512 Ecuadorians were taken into custody.

By contrast, according to the service, 2,978 Ecuadorians were taken into custody at the border in 2024 while 2,223 were detained in 2023.

The service credits the lower numbers to “revised immigration policies” instituted the Government of President Donald Trump. “The word has gone out and has been received that attempting to enter the U.S. illegally will not be tolerated,” Border Protection said.