A court in military-run Myanmar convicted deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on two charges of corruption Wednesday, according to local reports, adding three years to her previous sentences and extending her total prison time to 26 years.
The 77-year-old former Nobel Peace Prize winner was convicted on charges of receiving a $550,000 bribe from Maung Weik, a businessman who had previously served six years of a drug trafficking sentence and who testified against Suu Kyi in court, independent news outlet Myanmar Now reported.
Maung Weik has close relationships and business partnerships with members of the military’s inner circle, according to the report.
Suu Kyi pleaded not guilty to the charges. The two convictions each carried a three-year sentence to be served concurrently.
In February 2021, Myanmar’s military overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected civilian government on widely debunked charges of voter fraud, detaining the former democracy activist and other high-ranking officials.
Wednesday’s court ruling came just weeks after Suu Kyi was given a three-year sentence on charges of espionage along with her Australian economic advisor Sean Turnell. The former government officials were charged with violating the country’s 100-year-old Official Secrets Act.
Among her earlier convictions were a charge of electoral fraud in September and four other corruption cases.
Supporters and international rights groups have condemned the charges against Suu Kyi as politically motivated. The United Nations and governments including the United States have also spoken out against the military junta’s persecution of pro-democracy activists and opposition leaders.
In July, the military government executed four activists in the country’s first use of corporal punishment in decades.
Human rights investigators at the United Nations released a report in August outlining the junta’s “systematic crimes against humanity.”Suu Kyi is still facing five cases related to corruption allegations. (UPI)
