Smartmatic Execs Charged in Alleged Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme from 2016 Philippine Elections

A federal grand jury in Florida indicted Smartmatic co-founder Roger Piñate and another company executive and the former chairman of the Philippines’ Commission on Elections, Andres Bautista , over alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar bribery and money laundering scheme aimed at influencing the 2016 Philippine elections.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced the charges against four defendants unsealed on Friday.

The indictment alleges that between 2015 and 2018, Piñate and Jorge Miguel Vasquez orchestrated a scheme to pay at least $1 million in bribes to Bautista. The payments were allegedly made to secure business contracts related to the supply of voting machines for the 2016 elections and to facilitate the release of value-added tax payments.

Prosecutors claim the bribes were funded through a slush fund generated by inflating the cost per voting machine. The scheme was allegedly further concealed through coded language, fraudulent contracts, and sham loan agreements. The illicit funds were then laundered through bank accounts in Asia, Europe, and the U.S., including in Florida, according to the indictment.

Piñate, Vasquez, Bautista and another individual, Elie Moreno , now face charges of money laundering and conspiracy. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison for each count.

Bautista, currently in hiding in the US, took to X, formerly Twitter, to protest his innocence.

Smartmatic is currently suing several news outlets and media personalities , including Fox in a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit, over commentary that falsely accused them of helping to steal the 2020 US presidential election from former President Donald Trump .

The company also issued a statement on X in response to the indictment, noting that “no voter fraud has been alleged and Smartmatic is not indicted” but that it had “placed both employees” named “on leaves of absence effective immediately.”

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