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Myanmar court sentences Suu Kyi to 5 years in jail for corruption
The case was the first of 11 corruption charges against the Nobel laureate, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The source declined to be identified because her trials are being held behind closed doors.
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This file handout photo taken on May 24, 2021 and released by Myanmar's Ministry of Information on May 26 shows detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi (left) and detained president Win Myint (right) during their first court appearance in Naypyidaw, since the military detained them in a coup on February 1. (AFP/Handout)
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court in military-ruled Myanmar on Wednesday found deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of corruption and sentenced her to five years in jail, according to a source with knowledge of the proceedings, Reuters reported.
The case was the first of 11 corruption charges against the Nobel laureate, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The source declined to be identified because her trials are being held behind closed doors.
Since a military coup deposed her government in February last year, plunging the country into upheaval, Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of criminal cases that could see her jailed for decades.
In the latest case, the Nobel laureate -- who has been in military custody since the night of the coup -- was accused of accepting a bribe of $600,000 cash and gold bars.
After two days of delays, the special court in the military-built capital Naypyidaw handed down its verdict and sentence at 9:30 am (0300 GMT) on Thursday, the source said, quoted by AFP.
She still faces a raft of other criminal charges, including violating the official secrets act, corruption and electoral fraud, and could be jailed for more than 100 years if convicted on all counts.
The 76-year-old had already been sentenced to six years in jail for incitement against the military, breaching Covid-19 rules and breaking a telecommunications law -- although she will remain under house arrest while she fights other charges.
Journalists have been barred from attending the court hearings and Suu Kyi's lawyers have been banned from speaking to the media.
More than 1,700 people have been killed and over 13,000 arrested in a crackdown on dissent since the coup, according to a local monitoring group.
