Myanmar’s government sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to six years in prison on Wednesday for corruption, taking the Nobel laureate’s total prison time to 26 years, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
The source said Suu Kyi was sentenced to “three years each on two counts of corruption” in which she was accused of taking bribes from a businessman, adding that the conditions would be met simultaneously.
Closed since the putsch last year, Suu Kyi has already been convicted by a closed junta court of corruption and other charges.
In the latest case, the Nobel laureate – who has been in military custody since the night of the coup – was accused of accepting a $550,000 bribe from businessman Mong Week.
The source said Suu Kyi – who denies all charges against her – appeared to be in good health and would appeal.
He is currently on trial for five other corruption charges.
Journalists have been barred from attending court hearings and Suu Kyi’s lawyers have been banned from speaking to the media.
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Suu Kyi has been the face of Myanmar’s democratic hopes for more than 30 years and was previously a political prisoner. Since February 2021, he has been confined by the military once again, his link with the outside world now limited to brief pre-trial meetings with lawyers.
Several of his political allies have also been arrested since the coup, with a chief minister sentenced to 75 years in prison.
Last year, a military broadcaster broadcast a video from Maung Week saying that he had given Suu Kyi $550,000 over several years.
Mong Weeks said he has donated money to senior government figures for the good of his business.
The Southeast Asian nation has been in turmoil ever since the military seized power, leading to widespread armed resistance.
The junta has responded with an action that rights groups say has included the destruction of villages, mass extra-judicial killings and airstrikes on civilians.
According to the United Nations Children’s Agency, more than a million people have been displaced since the coup.
According to a local watchdog group, more than 2,300 people have been killed and more than 15,000 arrested since the military seized power.
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