Election rigging bribes of $1 million result in bribery and money laundering charges

Three high-ranking executives and a former Chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) of the Republic of the Philippines have been formally charged for their pivotal roles in an alleged bribery and money laundering scheme. This scheme was purportedly orchestrated to retain and obtain business related to the crucial 2016 Philippine elections.

According to the indictment, between 2015 and 2018,

• Roger Alejandro Pinate Martinez, 49, a Venezuelan citizen and resident of Boca Raton, Florida, and Jorge Miguel Vasquez, 62, a U.S. citizen and resident of Davie, Florida, together with others,
• allegedly caused at least $1 million in bribes to Juan Andres Donato Bautista, 60, the former Chairman of COMELEC.

These 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 contract payments, including releasing value-added tax payments.

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.

• To conceal the nature and purpose of the corrupt payments, the co-conspirators used coded language to refer to the slush fund and created fraudulent contracts and sham loan agreements to justify transfers.
• The co-conspirators then allegedly laundered funds related to the bribery scheme through a network of bank accounts located in Asia, Europe, and the United States, including in the Southern District of Florida. This international aspect of the case underscores its global impact.

Pinate and Vasquez are each charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and one substantive violation of the FCPA. Bautista, Pinate, Vasquez, and Elie Moreno, 44, a dual citizen of Venezuela and Israel, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of international laundering of monetary instruments.

If convicted, Pinate and Vasquez each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the FCPA and conspiracy to violate the FCPA counts. Bautista, Pinate, Vasquez, and Moreno each face a maximum penalty of 20 years for each count of international laundering of monetary instruments and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Source

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-men-charged-philippine-bribery-and-money-laundering-scheme