Ex-Comelec chairman Bautista, 3 others indicted in bribery, money laundering case

FORMER Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Andres Bautista and three others were indicted by a US federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida for their alleged involvement in bribery and money laundering schemes related to the 2016 presidential elections.

In a statement released by the US Department of Justice, it was said that between 2015 and 2018, Bautista purportedly received at least $1 million in bribes.

The funds were allegedly channeled through a network of over-invoiced contracts for voting machines, which were manipulated to establish a slush fund.

This fund was then used to conceal the bribes, which were aimed at influencing the awarding and retention of contracts and securing payments related to the elections.

"To conceal and disguise the nature and purpose of the corrupt payments, the co-conspirators used coded language to refer to the slush fund and caused the creation of fraudulent contracts and sham loan agreements to justify transfers. The co-conspirators then allegedly laundered funds related to the bribery scheme through bank accounts located in Asia, Europe, and the United States, including in the Southern District of Florida," the justice department said.

Roger Alejandro Pinate Martinez, 49, a Venezuelan residing in Boca Raton, Florida, and Jorge Miguel Vasquez, 62, a US citizen living in Davie, Florida, along with Elie Moreno, 44, a dual citizen of Venezuela and Israel, are also implicated in the scheme and face multiple charges, including conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Moreno is additionally charged with multiple counts of international laundering of monetary instruments.

The justice department did not mention the name of the company; however, it was later revealed that Martinez is an executive of Smartmatic, the service provider for the Comelec in several Philippine national and local elections.

The case is being spearheaded by Homeland Security Investigations’ El Dorado Task Force and supported by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Miami.

"The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, Bautista, Pinate, Vasquez, and Moreno face severe penalties, including up to 20 years in prison for each count of money laundering and conspiracy," the justice department said.

Denial

In a 2023 report by SunStar Philippines, Bautista denied allegations of receiving bribes from a poll service company, specifically naming Smartmatic.

In a series of posts on X, Bautista denied the allegations that he received bribe from the company to secure the automated election systems (AES) service provider contract.

"Let me be very clear: I did not ask for nor receive any bribe money from Smartmatic or any other entity," said Bautista.

For its part, the perennial AES service provider of the Comelec, Smartmatic International, assured that it has adhered to all existing bidding laws.

This includes the muliple contracts it has obtained with the election commission since the 2010 elections.

"Smartmatic has been in the Philippines since 2008. In every bidding process and procurement procedure, Smartmatic has adhered to the Philippine Procurement Law and the strict controls that the Philippine Commission on Elections imposes," said Smartmatic in a statement. (JGS)