El Nuevo Herald, the Miami Herald‘s Spanish-language sister publication, reports that IRS and FBI agents “are investigating allegations involving tax evasion, an excessive commission to a lobbyist in Caracas and alleged death threats by Smartmatic President Antonio Mugica.”
According to a Miami Herald account in English, Smartmatic sent a statement saying that Mugica “has never threatened an employee.”
The company says that the allegations likely came from two former employees, a chief financial officer and a controler, who were sent “cease and desist” letters.
“The company’s policy is one of full and open disclosure,” lawyer Bialos says.
“El Nuevo Herald said [November 30] that federal investigators were reviewing Smartmatic payments to Morris Loyo, a retired Venezuelan Air Force captain with ‘ample connections’ to the Chavez government, as commissions for helping to obtain the voting machine contract,” according to the Miami Herald.
“Smartmatic confirmed employing Loyo ‘as a lobbyist/salesperson and independent contractor to assist in securing election contracts in Venezuela’ but would not say how much he was paid.”
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