Smartmatic executives charged by Justice Department in alleged Philippines bribery scheme
SUMMARY
Three current and former Smartmatic executives, including company president Roger Piñate, have been charged in the U.S. for allegedly bribing former Philippines election official Andres Bautista to secure contracts for the 2016 elections. The charges could impact ongoing defamation lawsuits Smartmatic has filed against Fox News and Newsmax, which accused the company of election fraud. Smartmatic stated that the charged executives are on leave but remain innocent until proven guilty, and emphasized that 'no voter fraud has been alleged' against the company. The new indictment will likely affect Smartmatic's defamation claims by damaging the company's public reputation. The Newsmax-Smartmatic trial is set to begin next month unless settled outside court.
