First modification:
Since her overthrow, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been tried in a series of cases against her that she has not accepted. Myanmar’s military junta accused the deposed leader of five new charges of corruption, including renting a helicopter.
New charges against the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi were announced this Saturday, January 15, by the Myanmar military junta, in power since February 1, 2021, after a coup that overthrew the elected government.
During a trial in a Myanmar court, the military accused Suu Kyi and deposed President Win Myint of misusing state funds for the lease of a helicopter, among other alleged corruption offenses committed by “the lady,” such as called the 76-year-old leader.
The announcement comes after a Myanmar court on Monday sentenced the ousted leader to four years in prison for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkie radios and violating restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since the coup d’état, the politician has been under house arrest in an unknown location and has rarely been seen in public.
From 2 to more than 100 years in prison
The charges against Aung San Suu Kyi carry sentences ranging from two to more than 100 years in prison. So far, the Burmese leader has been sentenced to a total of six years in prison.
Among the sentences, he is accused of the crime of incitement after his party sent a letter in February to international organizations asking them not to recognize the military government. For this, she was sentenced to two years in prison.
He is also charged with Failure to Comply with Coronavirus Regulations during his party’s 2020 election campaign. He was sentenced to two years in prison and then received a further two-year sentence in December 2021 for a similar charge.
Other charges against Suu Kyi include obtaining, collecting, recording, publishing or communicating secret information that may be useful to an enemy (Official Secrets Act) which carries a maximum of 14 years in prison; prosecution for “electoral fraud and illegal acts” (status uncertain) and violations of the anti-corruption law (Arts. 55, 63).
The accusations against Suu Kyi include the misuse of funds from the Burmese-presided Daw Khin Kyi Foundation to build a house; leasing land owned by the Burmese government at a preferential rate and accepting bribes totaling $600,000 and 11.4 kg of gold bullion.
While the military junta is fine with the Burmese leader serving her sentences, Suu Kyi’s supporters say the charges against her are designed to legitimize the military’s actions and prevent her from returning. to politics.
Myanmar has been plunged into a deep political, social and economic crisis since the military came to power after a coup on February 1, 2021. But the Army justifies the overthrow of the elected government for alleged massive fraud during the general elections. November 2020, the result of which was annulled and in which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won, as it did in 2015.
The repression by the authorities is felt even more in the streets, where at least 1,469 people have lost their lives due to police brutality, according to figures from the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners.
With Reuters, EFE and AP
We want to thank the author of this write-up for this incredible content
Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi faces five more corruption cases