Suu Kyi from Myanmar sentenced to five years in prison for corruption

April 27 (Reuters) – A military-ruled Myanmar court sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in jail on Wednesday after convicting her in the first of 11 corruption cases she faces, a source said. with knowledge of the procedures.

The Nobel laureate and figurehead for Myanmar’s opposition to military rule is charged with at least 18 crimes carrying combined maximum jail terms of nearly 190 years, all but ending any chance of a political comeback.

The judge in the capital, Naypyitaw, delivered the verdict moments after the court was called and gave no explanation, said the source, who declined to be identified because the trial is taking place behind closed doors, with restricted information.

Suu Kyi, who attended all of her hearings, was unhappy with the outcome and would appeal, the source said.

The 76-year-old led Myanmar for five years during a brief period of tentative democracy before being forced from power in a February 2021 coup by the army, which has ruled the former British colony for five of the last six decades.

It was not immediately clear if she would be transferred to a prison to serve her sentence.

Since her arrest, she has been held at an undisclosed location, where board chief Min Aung Hlaing previously said she could remain following convictions in December and January for comparatively minor offenses that resulted in a six-year term. .

Military government spokesman Zaw Min Tun could not be reached for comment and did not mention Suu Kyi’s ruling Wednesday during a televised news conference that lasted more than 3 1/2 hours.

The most recent case centered on allegations that Suu Kyi accepted 11.4 kg (402 oz) of gold and cash payments totaling $600,000 from her protégé-turned-accuser, the former chief minister of the city of Yangon. , Phyo Min Thein.

Suu Kyi called the accusations “absurd” and denies all the charges against her, which include violations of state secrets and election laws, incitement and corruption.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Suu Kyi’s days as a free woman were effectively over.

“Myanmar’s junta and the country’s kangaroo courts are walking in unison to lock up Aung San Suu Kyi for what could ultimately be the equivalent of a life sentence, given her advanced age,” he said.

“Destroying people’s democracy in Myanmar also means getting rid of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the junta leaves nothing to chance.”

Myanmar has been in crisis since the coup, with the army using deadly force to suppress nationwide protests and public anger. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and many killed, tortured and beaten, in what the United Nations has called crimes against humanity.

The international community imposed sanctions on the military and dismissed Suu Kyi’s trials as a sham. The Myanmar embassies of Britain and the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The military has said Suu Kyi committed crimes and an independent judiciary is giving her due process and dismisses foreign criticism as interference.

The junta has refused to allow his visits, including that of a special envoy from Southeast Asia trying to end the crisis.

On Twitter, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said he was deeply concerned about the sentence and urged that “basic principles of human rights and justice must be guaranteed”.

Nay Phone Latt, a former official from Suu Kyi’s ousted ruling party, said the court decisions were temporary because military rule would not last long.

“We do not recognize the rulings, legislation or judiciary of the terrorist junta,” said Nay Phone Latt, who belongs to the shadow Government of National Unity, which has declared a popular revolt against the military government.

“I don’t care how long they want to sentence, whether it’s a year, two years, or whatever they want. This won’t last.”

Reuters staff information; Written by Martin Petty; Edited by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez

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