Brillantes, COMELEC Face Investigation Over ‘Midnight Deal’

Plunder and graft complaints were filed by Former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto “Jing” Paras against retired Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. with his 7 companions in an alleged “midnight deal” together with Smartmatic for the repair, refurbishment, and diagnostics of 82,000 vote-counting machines for the recent May 9 polls, who was declared null and void by the Supreme Court.

Brillantes, retired commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph, incumbent commissioners Al Parreño and Christian Robert Lim, and Smartmatic officials Cesar Flores, Elie Moreno and Marlon Garcia were the names that Paras filed to the Ombudsman for investigation.

Paras’ complaint stated that COMELEC officials approved the 268 million pesos deal to extend the warranty of the 82,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines which the Comelec bought from Smartmatic.

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