A Myanmar court on Monday, 15 August, convicted ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in four new corruption cases and ordered that she would have to serve six more years in jail, Associated Press reported quoting a legal official.
Suu Kyi was earlier sentenced to a 11-year prison sentence following the various trials that took place after the military took over her elected government in February 2021 coup. She was booked under the charges of sedition and corruption, among others.
The latest corruption cases came up after it was alleged that Suu Kyi misused her position to rent a public land at a rate that was below the market prices. It was also alleged that Suu Kyi had constructed a house by using donations from Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, an organisation that she had founded to promote education and health.
Neither the media nor the public had access to the hearing as it was held behind closed doors. In addition, a gag order restrained Suu Kyi's lawyers from disclosing information about the proceedings, AP reported.
Meanwhile, Suu Kyi has denied all the charges and her lawyers are expected to apply for appeals in the following days.
In total, Suu Kyi faces nearly a dozen charges against her and if found guilty of all, she could be looking at more than 100 years of jail time.
Her supporters and observers around the world say that the charges she is facing are meant to legitimise the military junta's rule in Myanmar and to permanently remove her from the country's political scene.
(With inputs from Associated Press.)
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