Federal prosecutors have charged voting technology firm Smartmatic with money laundering and other crimes arising from more than $1 million in bribes that several executives allegedly paid to election officials in the Philippines.
The payments, between 2015 and 2018, were made to obtain a contract with the Philippine government to help run that country's 2016 presidential election and secure timely payment for its work, according to a superseding indictment filed Thursday in federal court in Miami.
Three former Smartmatic executives, including co-founder Roger Pinate, were previously charged in 2024, but at the time Smartmatic was not named as a defendant.
Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The criminal case is unfolding as Smartmatic is pursuing a $2.7 billion lawsuit accusing Fox News of defamation for airing false claims that the company helped rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
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