Smartmatic executives charged by Justice Department in alleged Philippines bribery scheme

Source: CNN Politics

Updated 3:10 PM EDT, Fri August 9, 2024

CNN — Three current and former executives from Smartmatic, the voting technology company suing right-wing media outlets over their 2020 election coverage, have been charged in the US in connection with an alleged bribery scheme in the Philippines.

Among the Smartmatic executives facing charges is the company’s president, Roger Piñate, according to a Justice Department release. The indictment was unveiled in south Florida federal court on Friday.

Prosecutors said in the press release that the indictment stems from bribes allegedly paid by Smartmatic to Andres Bautista, the former top election official in the Philippines, “to obtain and retain business related to providing voting machines and election services for the 2016 Philippine elections.” Bautista was already facing related charges in the US and is named in the new indictment, according to the press release.

Smartmatic released a statement acknowledging the indictments, saying that the two executives who are still at the company have immediately been “placed on leaves of absence,” although they “remain innocent until proven guilty.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/09/politics/smartmatic-philippines-charges/index.html

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Link to INDICTMENT (PDF viewer) – https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25038109-indictment-in-fcpaphillipines-case

Link to INDICTMENT (PDF) – https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25038109/indictment-in-fcpaphillipines-case.pdf