The logo of Smartmatic, the firm that supplies Venezuela’s voting technology, is seen on a sliding door at the headquarters of the company in Caracas, on Aug. 2, 2017.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images
The president and two executives of the voting machine company Smartmatic are facing federal charges tied to allegations of bribing the former top election official in the Philippines.
Federal prosecutors in Miami allege that between 2015 to 2018, Roger Alejandro Pinate Martinez, 49, a Venezuelan citizen, Florida resident and co-founder and president of Smartmatic and Jorge Miguel Vasquez, 62, a Smartmatic executive based in Florida, paid Juan Andres Donato Bautista, 60, at least $1 million in bribes during his time as chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) from 2015 to 2017.
Voting technology company settles lawsuit against OAN over 2020 election claims
The alleged goal to bribe Bautista was to win business tied to providing voting machines and election services for the 2016 elections in the Philippines, prosecutors said. They allege the men over-invoiced the cost per voting machine for the 2016 Philippine elections and used slush funds and coded language to hide payments.
- The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2024
illustration by Alice Lagarde for forbes; Getty Images Photos from left: James Gill/Danehouse; Clive Brunskill; Yasser Bakhsh; Simon M Bruty A Saudi payday may be harder to come by these days,… - Chakwera dares MUST graduates to master the art of conscientiousness
President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has challenged the newly 610 graduates at the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) to master the art of conscientiousness if they are to excel in… - MUST holds 10th anniversary celebration, graduates 610 students
Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) on Thursday had a double celebration as it commemorated its 10th anniversary at a ceremony that also saw 610 graduates receiving their certificates, diplomas… - Chakwera reaffirms government’s commitment to address national challenges
President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has reaffirmed his governments commitment to addressing the challenges facing people across the country, particularly food insecurity. Chakwera was responding to a plea from Malawi Congress Party… - India- Malawi geared to promote ATM strategy
President of India Shrimati Droupadi Murmu has called for increased cooperation between Malawi and India in the areas of Agriculture, Tourism and Mining ( ATM) to achieve the Malawi 2063 vision….
The men then allegedly laundered the money from the bribery scheme through bank accounts around the world including in Asia, Europe and in Florida.
In a statement shared on X, the company said, “Regardless of the veracity of the allegations and while our accused employees remain innocent until proven guilty, we have placed both employees on leaves of absence, effective immediately.”
The statement continued, “No voter fraud has been alleged and Smartmatic is not indicted. Voters worldwide must be assured that the elections they participate in are conducted with the utmost integrity and transparency. These are the values that Smartmatic lives by.”
Pinate and Vasquez are facing one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and one charge of violating the FCPA. Bautista, Pinate, Vasquez and a fourth individual – Elie Moreno, 44, a dual citizen of Venezuela and Israel – are all facing one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of international laundering of monetary instruments.
The company says its equipment is used in more than 30 countries. Los Angeles County is the only U.S. jurisdiction that uses Smartmatic’s equipment.
Smartmatic has been the target of conspiracy theories in conservative media related to the spread of debunked fraud claims about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The company has sued conservative media outlets and commentators, including Fox News for $2.7 billion, over false claims Smartmatic had a hand in switching votes from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden. A trial in the Fox case is expected to begin next year.
