Aung San Suu Kyi convicted of corruption, sentenced to 6 years

147
1
Aung San Suu Kyi convicted of corruption, sentenced to 6 years

Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's leader, has been convicted of corruption charges and sentenced her to an additional six years in prison.

The trial was held behind closed doors, with no access to the public and her lawyers were prohibited from revealing any information about the proceedings by a gag order.

In four corruption cases, Ms Suu Kyi was accused of having abused her position to rent public land at below market prices and to have built a residence with donations meant for charitable purposes.

Prosecutors argued that she misused funds from the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, an organisation she founded to promote health and education, to build the residence.

She received three years in prison for each of the four counts, but the sentences for three of them will be served concurrently, giving her a total of six more years in prison.

She denied all the charges, and her lawyers are expected to appeal.

She had already been sentenced to 11 years in prison on sedition, corruption and other charges at earlier trials after the military ousted her elected government and arrested her in February 2021.

She has been kept in solitary confinement since June, in a prison compound with quarters separate from other detainees.

Analysts say that the military's seizure of power is trying to legitimise her and her allies' power while eliminating her from politics before the military holds an election that it promises to hold next year.