Smartmatic Faces Federal Charges for Money Laundering and Bribery in the Philippines
Federal prosecutors have filed charges against voting technology company Smartmatic for money laundering and other crimes related to alleged bribes paid to election officials in the Philippines. The payments, totaling over $1 million, were made between 2015 and 2018 to secure a contract with the Philippines government for the 2016 presidential election. Smartmatic's co-founder Roger Pinate and two other former executives were previously charged in 2024, but Smartmatic itself was not named as a defendant in that case. Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica has not yet commented on the situation. This legal action comes as Smartmatic is also involved in a $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News for defamation over false claims made about the company's involvement in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.