Military Regime Adds Four Corruption Charges: Aung San Suu Kyi Faces 10 Cases, Threats 75 Years In Prison

JAKARTA - Myanmar's leader San Suu Kyi could face up to 75 years in prison after Myanmar's military regime filed four new corruption charges against her to ensure the ousted civilian leader stays behind bars.

On Tuesday 13 July, Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and Dr. Myo Aung, former Chairman of the Naypyitaw Council, appeared at the special court in Zabuthiri Township, Naypyitaw for their trial on incitement under Article 505(b) of the Criminal Code.

The new charges against ousted Aung San Suu Kyi bring the number of cases she faces to ten, with a total sentence of 75 years awaiting her if she is convicted, obliged to serve all sentences for each successive charge.

“If the court decides he should serve consecutive sentences, he could face a total of 75 years in prison for ten cases. In political cases, the decisions tend to be sequential,” said U Khin Maung Zaw, one of Suu Kyi's lawyers, as quoted by The Irrawaddy Tuesday, July 13.

U Khin Maung Zaw said the four new charges under the Anti-Corruption Act will be heard at the Mandalay County High Court on July 22, and they will know the details of the charges by then.

"The allegations are not, obviously because the lawyers were not able to see the first information report and other documents from the police," he said.

Two of the cases were against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi alone, while in the other two he was charged along with two others.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Dr. Myo Aung, and U Min Thu, former committee members of the Naypyitaw Council, face one charge, while Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Ye Min Oo, the ousted deputy chairman of the Naypyitaw Council, and other councilors face separate charges together.

Last month, they were accused of abusing power to obtain cheap land rent for Daw Khin Kyi Foundation's La Yaung Taw Horticulture Vocational School in Naypyitaw.