The Verdict Of Her First Corruption Case Will Be Read Today, Aung San Suu Kyi Faces The Threat Of 15 Years In Prison

Aung San Suu Kyi. (Wikimedia Commons / Htoo Tay Zar)

JAKARTA - Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi faces up to 15 years in prison on Monday, when a court in the military-ruled country is scheduled to pass a verdict in the first corruption case against her.

Since being forced from power in last year's coup, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi has been charged with a range of offenses, from sedition and corruption to violations of election laws and state secrets, which carry a combined maximum sentence of more than 150 years.

Suu Kyi has so far been found guilty of two lesser offenses and sentenced to six years, in a series of trials that could last years, leaving little chance for the return of a political figure in the country's struggle against dictatorship.

According to sources familiar with the trial, a judge will rule on Monday over allegations that Suu Kyi accepted a bribe of $600,000 and 11.4kg of gold from Phyo Min Thein, the former chief minister of Yangon who was once predicted to be one of her future successors.

Phyo Min Thein, Suu Kyi's protégé, testified in October that he gave her money and gold in exchange for her support. Suu Kyi has dismissed her accusations, which the junta broadcast separately on national television, as "absurd."

So far, Suu Kyi, 76, is being held at an undisclosed location, without visitors. He denies all charges.

Meanwhile, the military regime has restricted information about his trial and imposed a gag order on his lawyer. The international community called the trial a farce.

In the matter of the Myanmar Coup. VOI editors continue to unify the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continued to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.