Myanmar Court Again Sentenced To Prison Against Aung San Suu Kyi, This Time Accused Of Accepting Bribes

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

JAKARTA - Myanmar's court, which is controlled by the military regime, has again sentenced ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison, according to sources familiar with the charges of accepting bribes.

The latest allegations related to accepting bribes from a businessman, said the source, who declined to be named for the sensitivity of the matter.

Suu Kyi received a three-year prison sentence for two charges, which she will serve at the same time.

Since the February 1, 2021 military coup, the 77-year-old Nobel laureate, a figure opposed to military rule, has been charged with at least 18 charges, ranging from corruption charges to election violations, with a combined maximum sentence of nearly 190 years.

Regarding the allegations against him, Suu Kyi called it unreasonable and denied wrongdoing. Suu Kyi is known to have been detained in an isolation cell in the capital, Naypyitaw. Her trial took place in a closed court.

Meanwhile, opponents of the military said accusations against Suu Kyi were aimed at preventing her from engaging in politics again, or trying to challenge the military's grip on power since last year's coup.

Separately, a spokesman for the military junta did not answer a call for comment on this. The junta stressed that Myanmar's courts are independent and those arrested are undergoing legal proceedings.