Federal Grand Jury Expands Indictment in Smartmatic Bribery Probe
America ı By Rihem Akkouche
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In a stunning twist to an already explosive corruption case, a Florida federal grand jury on Thursday issued a superseding indictment charging Smartmatic, the global election technology company, with participating in a $1 million bribery scheme involving top Philippine election officials.
The indictment accuses Smartmatic of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), conspiracy to commit money laundering, and international laundering of monetary instruments — marking a significant escalation in the U.S. government’s investigation into alleged overseas corruption tied to the company’s lucrative contracts.
According to prosecutors, Smartmatic’s co-founder and president Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez, along with former executives Jorge Miguel Vasquez and Elie Moreno, funneled bribes to Juan Andres Donato Bautista, the former chairman of the Philippines Commission on Elections (COMELEC), between 2015 and 2018 to secure and maintain government contracts, including for the 2016 Philippine national elections.
DOJ Alleges Elaborate Web of Fraud and Concealment
Federal prosecutors say the executives used coded language, phony contracts, and sham loan agreements to disguise illicit payments routed through financial institutions spanning Asia, Europe, and the U.S., including banks in the Southern District of Florida.
“The bribes were paid to obtain and retain business from COMELEC, including the release of favorable value-added tax reimbursements and other contractual payments for the benefit of Smartmatic and its affiliates,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
The indictment claims that the company inflated equipment costs — overcharging for voting machines used in the 2016 elections — to bankroll a secret fund used to bribe officials.
Political Overtones and Trump’s FCPA Freeze
The new indictment lands amid political turbulence, following President Donald Trump’s suspension of FCPA enforcement earlier this year, claiming the law handicaps U.S. competitiveness abroad. Trump’s executive order instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to overhaul FCPA guidelines — a move Piñate and Vasquez previously cited in their bid to delay proceedings.
The Justice Department, however, pressed ahead, expanding its case to include Smartmatic itself.
Smartmatic Pushes Back: “Politically Influenced and Unjust”
Smartmatic vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “politically motivated.”
“The indictment is wrong on the facts and wrong on the law,” a company spokesperson said Thursday. “We will contest the claims, and we are confident we will prevail in court.”
The spokesperson accused the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida of being “misled by powerful interests,” despite Smartmatic’s cooperation. “This is targeted, political, and unjust,” she added, asserting that the company “will not be intimidated by those pulling the strings of power.”
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