Irrawaddy-Oct 12
A Myanmar military regime-controlled court on Wednesday sentenced the country’s deposed democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to another three years’ imprisonment on two more corruption charges, handing her two three-year terms to be served concurrently. The latest three-year term means Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to a total of 26 years in prison so far in 14 cases filed by the junta. She has denied any wrongdoing. Since her arrest at the time of last year’s coup, the regime has filed a series of charges against her, ranging from graft to electoral violations. Wednesday’s verdicts were delivered by a special court inside a prison compound in the capital Naypyitaw. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi still faces another five corruption charges filed by the junta. The regime opened a case under Article 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law last year, alleging that she accepted a bribe from businessman Maung Weik disguised as a donation to her charity, the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation. The junta’s Anti-Corruption Commission filed a complaint against the detained State Counselor in early May last year, alleging that the property developer gave her about US$550,000 in illegal payments between 2018 and 2020 to protect his businesses. The charge is based on comments Maung Weik made during a regime press conference in March last year. The owner of Sae Paing Construction Co. said he gave Daw Aung San Suu Kyi four payments: $100,00 in 2018, $150,000 in 2019, $50,000 in February 2020 and $250,000 in April 2020. However, Maung Weik testified in June this year that an alleged bribe paid to her was really a donation to her charity. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi founded the charity, named after her late mother Daw Khin Kyi, in 2012. The not-for-profit foundation provided free vocational training and carried out humanitarian work. It was financed by donors from around the world. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-sentences-daw-aung-san-suu-kyi-to-another-three-years-for-corruption.html
