The company "Smartmatic," which provides electronic devices and software for the election administration of Georgia for the 2024 elections, is involved in a bribery and money laundering scandal. According to American media, on August 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted three executives of Smartmatic in connection with the 2016 elections in the Philippines. The fourth accused in the same case is a former senior official of the Philippine election administration. 

According to the indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice, the co-founder and president of the firm, Roger Alexandro Pinate Martinez, along with two other employees, paid bribes totaling one million U.S. dollars. The indictment states that the former chairman of the Philippine Elections Commission (COMELEC), Juan Andres Donato Bautista, accepted the bribe. Bautista held this position from 2015 to 2017. The investigation reveals that high-ranking officials of the company paid bribes to persuade the Philippine Elections Commission to sign a multi-million dollar contract to purchase voting machines for the country. 

The Department of Justice reports that invoices were artificially inflated to increase the cost of each voting machine. They also created fake contracts and bank loan agreements to justify the money transfers. According to the indictment, the co-conspirators laundered the money using bank accounts located in Asia, Europe, and the United States, including Florida. The foundation of the scheme was laid in 2015 and lasted until 2018.

According to the Department of Justice, if convicted, the suspects face a maximum of 20 years in prison. Florida investigators are currently looking into the case.

The Central Election Commission of Georgia says that, no matter the outcome of the legal proceedings surrounding the "Smartmatic" company, it "will not have an impact on the credibility of the Georgian parliamentary elections." In addition, according to the CEC, the technologies provided by the American company are functioning properly and, most importantly, there is an opportunity to verify them.