Smartmatic Executives Accused of $1M Philippine Bribery Scheme

MIAMI – A federal grand jury in Miami has returned a superseding indictment charging multinational company Smartmatic, along with three of its executives and the former Chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) of the Philippines, in a scheme to pay over $1 million in bribes connected to 2016 Philippine national election contracts. The defendants include Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez, 50, Jorge Miguel Vasquez, 64, Juan Andres Donato Bautista, 61, and Elie Moreno, 45.

According to the indictment, the conspirators paid bribes to Bautista to secure business from COMELEC. They allegedly created a slush fund by over-invoicing voting machines for the 2016 elections and used coded language, fraudulent contracts, and international bank accounts to hide the payments.

Smartmatic Corporation Limited, Piñate, and Vasquez face charges of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). All four individuals are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and international laundering of monetary instruments. Bautista and Moreno remain fugitives.

The investigation is being led by U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti, and involves Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Miami. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Emery and Trial Attorneys Connor Mullin and Jil Simon.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Philippine Department of Justice assisted in the investigation. Indictments are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.