Ex-Comelec chair Bautista indicted in US for bribery, money laundering

Former Comelec chairman Andres Bautista has been indicted by a US federal grand jury in Florida on charges of bribery and money laundering related to the Philippines' 2016 elections.

He faces one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of international laundering of monetary instruments.

The indictment alleges that Bautista received at least $1 million in bribes from executives of a voting machine company that supplied equipment for the 2016 elections.

Three executives from the voting machine company, including Smartmatic co-founder Roger Alejandro Pinate Martinez, Jorge Miguel Vasquez, and Elie Moreno, were also indicted for their alleged roles in the bribery and money laundering scheme.

The charges against Bautista and the company executives stem from alleged illegal activities that occurred between 2015 and 2018.

The US DOJ stated that the bribes were allegedly paid to obtain and retain business related to providing voting machines and election services for the 2016 Philippine elections and to secure payments on the contracts.

The co-conspirators allegedly funded the bribes through a slush fund created by over-invoicing the cost per voting machine for the 2016 Philippine elections.