Overview
- Federal prosecutors charged SGO Corporation Limited (Smartmatic), three executives, and former COMELEC chairman Juan Andres Donato Bautista in a superseding indictment alleging more than $1 million in bribes.
- The filing details a 2015–2018 scheme that allegedly over‑invoiced voting machines to fund payments, used coded language and sham agreements, and moved money through accounts in Asia, Europe, and the U.S.
- SGO, Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez, and Jorge Miguel Vasquez face an FCPA conspiracy count, with Piñate and Vasquez also charged with substantive FCPA violations, and multiple defendants charged with money‑laundering offenses.
- Bautista and executive Elie Moreno are described as fugitives; the laundering counts carry maximum penalties of up to 20 years, while the FCPA counts carry up to five years.
- Smartmatic denies the allegations and vows to fight the case, as prosecutors seek court permission to introduce separate evidence about a Los Angeles County contract and an alleged Caracas property transfer not included in the indictment.