- It is unclear whether Suu Kyi will be sent to prison
- The judge did not give an explanation for the source decision
- The charges carry a combined prison sentence of nearly 190 years
- The former leader was found guilty of accepting gold, cash bribes
- Suu Kyi’s allies reject the decision, saying the junta’s rule will not continue
April 27 (Reuters) – A court in military-run Myanmar has sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in prison on Wednesday after finding her guilty in the first of 11 corruption cases against her, a source familiar with the case said.
The Nobel laureate and participant in Myanmar’s opposition to military rule has been charged with at least 18 crimes with combined maximum sentences of nearly 190 years, nearly killing the chances of a political return.
Sofia Judge Naipitou handed down the verdict within the time of the court summons and did not give an explanation, said the source, who declined to be identified because the trial is being held behind closed doors, with limited information.
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Suu Kyi, who attended all of the hearings, is unhappy with the outcome and will appeal, the source said.
The 76-year-old man ruled Myanmar for five years during a brief period of shaky democracy before being forced to be ousted in February 2021 by the military that ruled the former British colony for five of the past six decades. .
It was not immediately clear whether she would be transferred to prison to serve her sentence.
After her arrest, she was held in an undisclosed location, where junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said earlier that she could stay after earlier sentences in December and January for relatively minor crimes, for which she was sentenced to a total of six years.
A spokesman for the military government was not immediately available for comment.
The latest case focused on allegations that Suu Kyi had accepted 11.4 kilograms of gold and cash payments totaling $ 600,000 from her protégé, who became a prosecutor and former chief minister of Yangon, Fio Min Thain.
Suu Kyi called the allegations “absurd” and denied all charges against her, including violations of election laws and laws on state secrets, incitement and corruption.
Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, said Suu Kyi’s days as a single woman were virtually over.
“Myanmar’s junta and the country’s kangaroo courts are taking steps to remove Aung San Suu Kyi for something that could ultimately be the equivalent of a life sentence, given her advanced age,” he said.
“The destruction of Myanmar’s people’s democracy also means getting rid of Aung San Suu Kyi, and the junta leaves nothing to chance.”
Myanmar is in turmoil after the coup, with national protests and public outrage suppressed by the deadly military. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and many killed, tortured and beaten in what the United Nations has called crimes against humanity.
The international community has imposed sanctions on the military and dismissed the lawsuits against Suu Kyi as farcical. The US and British embassies in Myanmar did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The military said Suu Kyi had committed crimes and was subjected to due process by an independent judiciary, dismissing foreign criticism as interference.
The junta has refused to allow her visits, including to a special envoy in Southeast Asia who is trying to end the crisis.
Nei Telephone Lat, a former employee of Su Zhi’s ousted ruling party, said the court rulings were temporary because military rule would not last long.
“We do not recognize the decisions, legislation or judiciary of the terrorist junta,” said Nai Telefon Lat, a member of the shadow national government that declared a popular uprising against military rule.
“I don’t care how long they want to be sentenced, whether it’s one year, two years or whatever. They won’t go on.”
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Reporting by Reuters employees; Writing by Martin Petty; Edited by Ed Davis, Robert Bircell
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