A special court in Myanmar sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in prison in the first of several corruption charges leveled against the deposed civilian leader, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The judge handed down the verdict immediately after convening the court, said the person who declined to be named as he is not authorized to speak to the media. The sentencing brings the total prison term to 11 years since the coup in 2021 and effectively prevents Suu Kyi, 76, from staging a political comeback in the Southeast Asian country.
The court in Naypyidaw found her guilty for taking bribes totaling $600,000 in cash and 11.4 kilograms of gold from ex-Yangon chief minister. He testified against Suu Kyi in October, saying he bribed her “in exchange for her support.”
“We the government don’t interfere with the judiciary, so the court independently made this decision in accordance with the law,” said Major General Zaw Min Tun, lead spokesman for the State Administration Council. He will address the media later in the day at 1 p.m. Yangon time.
Suu Kyi had been on trial for a remaining 13 charges including violating the colonial-era official secrets act. In total, the maximum prison sentence for these remaining charges is nearly 190 years.
Earlier, Suu Kyi was sentenced total six years in prison after she was found guilty by the same court for five charges that included illegally importing and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies, breaking some COVID rules, and inciting dissent against the military. She has called all the allegations “absurd” while her supporters say the charges are politically motivated.
Court trials reflect a push by the military government to discredit Suu Kyi after her party won more than 80% of the seats in the election one year ago. The military led by Min Aung Hlaing declared the elections as tainted by widespread fraud even though international observers said it was mostly free and fair.
Earlier court sentences have sparked violence and the shadow National Unity Government formed by Suu Kyi’s allies is likely to make a renewed push with the resistance effort. About 1,800 civilians were killed by the junta and over 13,300 others have been arrested since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
The junta imposed a gag order on all of her lawyers, barring them from speaking to the media. Journalists are not allowed to observe the court proceedings while Suu Kyi has been detained at an undisclosed location in Naypyidaw a few months after the military toppled her civilian government in February 2021.
Suu Kyi missed some court proceedings last month after staff around her tested positive for COVID. She has been looking healthy since reappearing a few days later, the person had previously said.
The latest sentencing comes as the economy struggles to regain momentum since the coup and the pandemic with the World Bank having a “critically weak” outlook for Myanmar this year through September.
Adding to the pressures are recent sanctions leveled by the U.S. and President Joe Biden has warned “further costs” will be imposed as long the junta doesn’t hold elections.
