1 of 5 | Since her removal, the military has tried and convicted Aung San Suu Kyi on other charges, including possessing unauthorized walkie talkies and violating COVID-19 restrictions. Apart from Wednesday's punishment, she'd already been sentenced to six years in prison. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI |
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April 27 (UPI) -- The military-led government in Myanmar on Wednesday sentenced former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to another five years in prison on a corruption conviction -- the latest legal punishment against her since the junta took over the government a year ago.
Suu Kyi was sentenced, prosecutors say, for taking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bribes, including gold. The ousted former leader has steadfastly rejected the accusations and some independent legal experts have said the charges are a sham intended to legitimize the February 2021 military coup that installed the junta government.
Since her removal, the military has tried and convicted Suu Kyi on other charges, including possessing unauthorized walkie talkies and violating COVID-19 restrictions. Apart from Wednesday's punishment, she'd already been sentenced to six years in prison.
The various crimes of which Suu Kyi has been charged -- from violating the Official Secrets Act to election fraud -- carry maximum sentences that could imprison her for life.
The new five-year sentence stems from an accusation by former Yangon official Phyo Min Thein that Suu Kyi accepted gold bars and cash payments from him in exchange for business favors.
Suu Kyi's defense team said it plans to appeal the conviction and the sentence.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners estimates that Suu Kyi is one of more than 10,300 people who are currently detained.
Suu Ky, 76, has been in junta custody for 14 months since the junta-led coup, which was based on accusations of electoral fraud in November 2020 that kept her and a host of other civilian leaders in power.
The takeover has since left the military-led country in a state of economical and political unrest and thousands of civilians have been killed as a result. Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, has rarely been seen in public since the military coup and there have been reports that she may be in poor health.
In April, U.S. lawmakers passed legislation to expand sanctions against the military junta in Myanmar for the coup and for targeting protesters.
