GEMS has Weighted voting. Meaning Bill Smith has less of a vote then the other two
Posted on 10/17/2025 9:34:33 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Smartmatic — the company involved in a defamation lawsuit against Fox News over the latter’s reporting on the 2020 election — was indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami on Thursday for allegedly bribing a Philippine official in relation to the 2016 Philippine national elections.
The indictment added the parent company of Smartmatic, SGO Corporation Ltd., as a defendant in the case already underway against three Smartmatic executives. The indictment charges that between 2015 and 2018, Smartmatic executives Roger Alejandro Piñate Martinez, Jorge Miguel Vasquez, and others “caused at least $1 million in bribes to be paid” to the former chairman of COMELEC, according to the Department of Justice.
COMELEC stands for the Commission on Elections of the Republic of the Philippines. According to the indictment, COMELEC is an “independent agency mandated to enforce and administer election laws in the Philippines.”
According to the indictment, COMELEC opened the bidding process in 2014 for the lease of 23,000 election machines for the upcoming 2016 election. Smartmatic was awarded a contract in 2015. In 2015, COMELEC awarded a second contract to Smartmatic for the leasing of 70,977 voting machines and services for the 2016 election. Smartmatic was later awarded a third contract.
The indictment alleges that Smartmatic, along with its executives, offered to pay bribes to the COMELEC chairman in order to obtain the contracts, as well as to obtain the “release of favorable value added tax payments.”
In order to pay for the alleged bribes, the indicted co-conspirators allegedly over-invoiced the cost of each voting machine that was used in the 2016 Philippine elections. According to the Department of Justice, “they used coded language, created fraudulent contracts and sham loan agreements, and routed transactions through bank accounts in Asia, Europe, and the U.S., including within the Southern District of Florida.”
The indictment charges Smartmatic, along with Piñate and Vasquez, with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of international laundering of monetary instruments.
Smartmatic denied the allegations in a statement to The Federalist.
“This is again, targeted, political, and unjust,” Smartmatic said. “Smartmatic will continue to stand by its people and principles. We will not be intimidated by those pulling the strings of power.”
Smartmatic sued Fox News and Newsmax after the 2020 election alleging that concerns made by “commentators” on both networks about the vulnerability and security of Smartmatic tabulators amounted to defamation.
Notably, Fox News alleged in an August filing that it “seems irrefutable that” Smartmatic also gave unlawful gifts to the Los Angeles County official who helped obtain the firm’s “lucrative contract” with the county.” Fox News also alleged that Smartmatic “funneled” L.A. County tax dollars to a “slush fund.”
Is this how Alaska got Senator Murkowski?
smartmatic.com
Fox Corp To Face Trial for Defaming Smartmatic | January 9, 2025
In a significant new legal win for Smartmatic, the New York appeals court ruled that Fox Corporation must face trial. In a unanimous decision, the court determined that Smartmatic convincingly argued that Fox Corporation was directly responsible for broadcasting false claims that the company’s technology was used to rig the 2020 US presidential election. This ruling is a crucial development in holding Fox Corporation accountable for defaming Smartmatic.
“Today, the New York Supreme Court rebuffed Fox Corporation’s latest attempt to escape responsibility for the defamation campaign it orchestrated against Smartmatic following the 2020 election. Fox Corporation attempted, and failed, to have this case dismissed, and it must now answer for its actions at trial. Smartmatic is seeking several billion in damages for the defamation campaign that Fox News and Fox Corporation are responsible for executing. We look forward to presenting our evidence at trial,” stated J. Erik Connolly, Smartmatic External Legal Counsel and Managing Chair of the Litigation Group at Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP.
This ruling affirms Smartmatic’s position and paves the way for a trial where Smartmatic will demonstrate the extent of Fox Corporation’s liability and seek justice for the defamation it suffered.
Post 4
What’s the status of the case against Fox News?
As of October 2025, Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News is still active, but recent federal bribery charges filed against Smartmatic itself could significantly impact the case.
On October 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Smartmatic with conspiracy, foreign bribery, and money laundering. The indictment alleges that Smartmatic executives paid bribes exceeding $1 million to election officials in the Philippines between 2015 and 2018 to secure a contract.
Fox News is using the bribery indictment to argue that Smartmatic’s reputation was already damaged, independent of the network’s 2020 election coverage. This could potentially reduce the amount of damages Smartmatic could claim if they were to win their defamation case.
Smartmatic has “categorically” denied the charges, calling them politically motivated, and has vowed to fight them in court.
In May 2025, both Smartmatic and Fox filed motions for summary judgment, asking the court to rule in their favor before a trial. Those motions are still pending. If the case does not settle, it is possible it could go to trial in 2026.
Context of the lawsuits
2020 election claims: Smartmatic’s defamation suit alleges that Fox News intentionally and knowingly spread false information about the company rigging the 2020 presidential election.
Past settlements: The case is being closely watched, particularly following the outcomes of Smartmatic’s lawsuits against other conservative outlets:
Dominion Voting Systems: In 2023, Fox settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million over similar false claims.
Newsmax: In 2024, Smartmatic settled with Newsmax for $40 million.
One America News Network (OAN): Smartmatic also settled with OAN in 2024 for an undisclosed amount.
Fox News = Rupert Murdoch.
The infamous Trump hater. Don’t care if he goes bankrupt. /spit
I REMEMBER THIS:
100 blank ballots were marked for Biden-—NO DOWN VOTE AT ALL
100 blank ballots were marked for Trump—no down VOTE at ALL.
IIRC—_THEY ERE RUN THRU THE MACHINES IN FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA-—
BIDEN GOT 125 VOTES
TRUMP GOT 75
THEY RAN THEM THRU 2 TIMES WITH EXACT SAME RESULTS
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