Smartmatic bribery case

Roger Piñate, the president of Smartmatic, and two co-conspirators have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to a $1 million bribery and money laundering scheme tied to the 2016 elections in the Philippines. The indictment alleges that Piñate, along with Jorge Miguel Vasquez and former elections chairman Juan Andres Donato Bautista, funneled bribes to secure contracts for voting machines and election services. They reportedly over-invoiced the cost of voting machines to create a slush fund for the bribes and used coded language and fraudulent contracts to conceal the payments. The funds were laundered through a network of international bank accounts across Asia, Europe, and the United States. If convicted, the defendants face severe penalties, including up to 20 years for money laundering charges. This legal action follows Smartmatic's controversial role in elections around the world, including its contract for the Kenyan elections in 2022.