In the United States, a former Philippine electoral official charged with corruption

## Former Philippine Election Official Charged with Bribery
Andres “Andy” Bautista, the former administrator of the election commission in the Philippines, has been indicted in Florida, USA, for alleged involvement in a bribery scheme related to voting machines used in the 2016 presidential election. The US Department of Justice announced the charges on Thursday, August 8. Bautista, along with three executives from the voting machine company, are accused of participating in a corruption and money laundering scheme to secure contracts for the 2016 Philippine elections.

## Key Roles in the Alleged Bribery Scheme
Among those indicted with Bautista is Roger Alejandro Pinate Martinez, a co-founder of the company Smartmatic. The executives are accused of facilitating over a million dollars in bribes to Bautista between 2015 and 2018. Bautista, who served as the head of the election commission from 2015 to 2017, awarded a $199 million contract to Smartmatic for supplying voting machines for the 2016 presidential election.

## Denials and Legal Actions
Bautista has denied the allegations, stating that he never received any bribes from Smartmatic or any other entity. The Justice Department and the prosecutor’s office have not confirmed whether Bautista is currently in custody in the US. Smartmatic, a British company with a US subsidiary in Florida, has defended itself against accusations of illegal contract acquisition. The company has even filed lawsuits against Fox News and supporters of Donald Trump for spreading conspiracy theories linking Smartmatic to election fraud during the 2020 US elections.


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