Senate PH File

In a shocking twist that could shake up both sides of the Pacific, former COMELEC Chairman Andres Bautista and three high-ranking executives from Smartmatic, the company behind the voting machines used in the 2016 Philippine elections, are in hot water.

A federal grand jury in Florida has charged them with bribery and money laundering, accusing them of orchestrating a scheme to secure and maintain contracts tied to those elections.

The indictment, which covers activities from 2015 to 2018, paints a pretty grim picture. It alleges that Bautista, along with Roger Alejandro Pinate Martinez and Jorge Miguel Vasquez, two executives with deep ties to Smartmatic, conspired to funnel over $1 million in bribes to ensure that Smartmatic would continue to get lucrative business deals related to the 2016 elections in the Philippines. And how did they do it? By creating a slush fund through over-invoicing the cost of the voting machines.

To make things even murkier, the group allegedly used coded language, fake contracts, and sham loan agreements to move the money around, hiding the true nature of their transactions. These funds reportedly traveled through various bank accounts across Asia, Europe, and the U.S., including Florida, in a complex web designed to avoid detection.

So what’s at stake for Bautista and the others? If convicted, they’re looking at some serious jail time—up to 20 years for each count of money laundering, on top of other penalties.

The case, which is being led by U.S. federal prosecutors with help from the Philippine government, is still in its early stages. And remember, all the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. But if these charges stick, it could mean big changes not just for those involved, but for how election-related contracts are handled moving forward.