Suu Kyi charged with bribery, faces 15 years in prison

Myanmar’s military regime piled more charges on ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi as it seeks to justify a Feb. 1 coup and ensure she stays behind bars, reports Bloomberg.

The junta charged Suu Kyi with violating an anti-corruption law, which would face her a maximum of 15 years in prison, according to a broadcast on state-run MRTV. That adds to four other charges the junta previously filed at a court in Naypyidaw, the capital.

The broadcast showed a video clip of Say Paing Construction Co chairman Maung Weik saying that he paid $550,000 to Suu Kyi at her residence in four batches from 2018 to 2020 April in order to be able to do his projects smoothly. He said there were no witnesses.

Authorities have prevented Suu Kyi from meeting with her legal team, which has denied wrongdoing and views all the charges as political. A court hearing for Suu Kyi scheduled on March 15 was postponed due to a lack of internet at the court, as the regime cuts communications to stem nationwide protests that have left more than 200 people dead.

The junta accused Suu Kyi of using some funds donated to Daw Khin Kyi Foundation for personal gain, leasing state-owned land for the foundation’s office and purchasing land for a vocational training center in Naypyidaw at a lower price than the market value. Previously, Suu Kyi was charged under the Export-Import Law, the Natural Disaster Management Law, Telecommunications Law and Incitement under a section of the colonial-era penal code.