Myanmar junta court convicts Suu Kyi of corruption

Naypyidaw (AFP): A Myanmar junta court on Wednesday found ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of corruption and sentenced her to five years in prison, a source familiar with the matter said.

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.

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.