Three High-Profile Ecuadorian Politicians Sentenced or Arrested in Corruption and Murder Cases

Former President Lenín Moreno, Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez, and ex-Minister José Serrano face prison terms for corruption and alleged murder.

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Lenín Moreno was allegedly convicted for accepting bribes totaling more than one million dollars while serving as vice president to secure a contract for the Chinese company Sinohydro for the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project. ^[1] On August 28, 2026, former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno was sentenced to five years in prison in a first-instance ruling for the alleged crime of bribery. ^[2] On August 29, 2026, Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for the illegal commercialization of fuels in border zones. ^[3] José Serrano, former Ecuadorian interior minister, was deported from the United States to Ecuador on 2025-08-29 and entered the El Encuentro prison in Santa Elena. ^[4] According to the Triple A tribunal, Aquiles Alvarez used his position as legal representative and majority shareholder of companies Copedesa, Corpalubri, and Ternape to intervene in illegal fuel operations. ^[5] After his term ended in May 2021, José Serrano moved to Miami and requested asylum in the United States in October 2021. ^[6] In May 2025, José Serrano faced an accusation that he financed the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, which resulted in a capture order and preventive detention. ^[7] José Serrano served as Ecuador's interior minister under President Rafael Correa from 2011 to 2016, and the article states this period was marked by accusations of abuses of power, human rights violations, and political persecution. ^[8]

What this stands on

On August 28, 2026, former Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno was sentenced to five years in prison in a first-instance ruling for the alleged crime of bribery. · El Universo

On August 29, 2026, Guayaquil Mayor Aquiles Alvarez was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for the illegal commercialization of fuels in border zones. · El Universo

José Serrano, former Ecuadorian interior minister, was deported from the United States to Ecuador on 2025-08-29 and entered the El Encuentro prison in Santa Elena. · Primicias

According to the Triple A tribunal, Aquiles Alvarez used his position as legal representative and majority shareholder of companies Copedesa, Corpalubri, and Ternape to intervene in illegal fuel operations. · El Universo

After his term ended in May 2021, José Serrano moved to Miami and requested asylum in the United States in October 2021. · Primicias

In May 2025, José Serrano faced an accusation that he financed the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, which resulted in a capture order and preventive detention. · Primicias

José Serrano served as Ecuador's interior minister under President Rafael Correa from 2011 to 2016, and the article states this period was marked by accusations of abuses of power, human rights violations, and political persecution. · Primicias

We could not place any of them by their address. None is an official body: that part stands on reporting, not on the underlying document or transcript.

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