A Myanmar Junta court has sentenced former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to 5 years of imprisonment in a corruption case on Wednesday 27th April 2022. She was accused of accepting 11.4 kilograms of gold and a total cash payment of $600,000 from former Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein.
A special court in the military-built capital Naypyidaw handed down its verdict and sentence on Wednesday. A spokesperson of the military government Zaw Min Tun told the news agency AFP, “Regarding taking gold and dollars from U Phyo Min Thein, the court sentenced her to five years imprisonment. She will be under house arrest. I do not know whether she asked for an appeal. They are working according to the legal way. As far as I know, she’s in good health.”
Aung San Suu Kyi is known as the face of Myanmar’s democratic hopes for more than 30 years. She was arrested by the military in February 2021 following the military coup. The Junta had brought allegations of election fraud against Suu Kyi. 76-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel peace prize winner. The military Junta had brought several charges against her.
Her party is also accused of writing letters to international organizations to pressurize them not to recognize the military government in Myanmar. She is sentenced in many cases and there are at least 10 more corruption cases pending against her, each with a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
Earlier in January 2022, she was sentenced to four years in prison for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies and violating CORONA restrictions. It is notable that, the trial in an election fraud case against the ousted Myanmar leader began on 14th February 2022. In Myanmar, more than 1500 civilians have been killed for opposing the dictatorship.
