January 1, Smartmatic Execs Face Major Bribery Charges

Wyatt’s Take

• Federal grand jury charges Smartmatic leaders for bribery and money laundering.
• Accused of securing votes and contracts by paying off foreign officials.
• Potential prison time underscores the gravity of election tech corruption.

Smartmatic and several top leaders are facing serious federal charges for allegedly running a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme over voting machine contracts.

U.S. officials say Smartmatic executives paid over $1 million in bribes to swing Philippine election contracts and hide extra profits.

According to prosecutors, from 2015 to 2018, company leaders Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez and Jorge Miguel Vásquez paid off a Philippine elections chairman for key government business after the country’s 2016 elections.

The charges claim Smartmatic got financial benefits by overpricing voting machines and hiding illegal payments with fake paperwork and secret international transfers.

“The money flowed through fake contracts, coded talk, and bank wires bouncing around the world to cover their tracks.”

The company, along with several executives, faces conspiracy and international money laundering charges, with extra counts for violating anti-corruption laws.

If found guilty, the accused could spend up to 20 years in prison for laundering and another five for the corruption charges. Two suspects remain on the run.

The case was led by federal authorities in Miami, working closely with law enforcement in the Philippines and experts in financial crimes.

One of the indicted Smartmatic founders is also accused of giving a high-priced home to a Venezuelan official as a bribe to help business dealings with the Maduro government.

Read the full story here

Wyatt Matters

When outside companies use our elections for backroom deals, it threatens every voter. This case highlights why honest voting and strong oversight matter in our towns and across the nation.