Federal prosecutors have indicted voting technology company Smartmatic on money laundering and bribery charges, alleging the firm and its executives paid over $1 million in illicit payments to Philippine election officials to secure government contracts.
According to a superseding indictment filed Thursday in Miami federal court, the payments took place between 2015 and 2018 as Smartmatic sought a deal to assist in administering the Philippines’ 2016 presidential election and to ensure prompt payment for its services. Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez and Jorge Miguel Vasquez allegedly orchestrated over $1 million in bribes to Juan Andres Donato Bautista, former Chairman of the Philippines’ COMELEC. The payments were intended to secure and maintain contracts for SGO Corporation Limited, including favorable VAT reimbursements and other government payments.
According to the indictment, the scheme was funded by inflating the cost of voting machines for the 2016 Philippine elections. The conspirators reportedly concealed the bribes using coded language, fake contracts and loan agreements, and by routing funds through bank accounts in Asia, Europe, and the Southern District of Florida.
Three former Smartmatic executives, including co-founder Roger Piñate, were charged in 2024 in connection with the same scheme, though the company itself was not previously named as a defendant.
The case comes as Smartmatic continues to pursue a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, alleging the network broadcast “false” claims that it helped manipulate the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
