BANGKOK: On Monday, a court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on new corruption allegations and sentenced her to six years in prison, according to a legal official.
The trial was held behind closed doors, with no access for the media or the public, and her lawyers were barred from discussing the proceedings due to a gag order.
In the four corruption trials decided on Monday, Suu Kyi was accused of abusing her position by renting public land at below-market rates and constructing a home with charitable donations. She received three-year sentences for each of the four crimes, but three of them will be served consecutively, giving her a total of six years in prison.
She disputed all of the charges, and her attorneys are anticipated to file an appeal.
She had already been sentenced to 11 years in prison for sedition, corruption, and other offenses when the military deposed her elected government and imprisoned her in February 2021.
Analysts believe the multiple allegations leveled against her and her associates are an attempt to legitimize the military’s seizure of power while also removing her from politics before the military’s promised election next year.