Suu Kyi of Myanmar is awaiting the verdict of her first corruption trial
Key Takeaways:
- Aung San Suu Kyi faces up to 15 years in prison when a court in the military-ruled Myanmar issues a decision in the first of three corruption hearings against her on Monday.
- In October, Phyo Min Thein, Suu Kyi's disciple, testified that he gave her money and gold in exchange for her support.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the displaced Myanmar leader, faces up to 15 years in prison on Monday, whenever a court in the military-ruled country is set to issue a judgment in the first of several corruption trials against her.
Since being deposed in a coup last year, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged with various offenses ranging from incitement and graft to violations of electoral and state secrets laws, with cumulative potential penalties of more than 150 years.
So far, she has been found guilty of two lesser offenses and sentenced to six years in prison in a series of trials that might span years, leaving little hope for a political comeback for the country's anti-dictatorship figurehead.
According to a source close to the case, the court will rule on Monday on allegations that Suu Kyi collected bribes totaling $600,000 and 11.4 kg of gold from Phyo Min Thein, a former Yangon chief minister who was once viewed as her potential successor.
Suu Kyi's disciple, Phyo Min Thein, testified in October that he handed her money and gold in exchange for her support. Suu Kyi has dismissed his charges, which were broadcast separately on national television by the junta, as "absurd."
Suu Kyi, 76, is confined in an unidentified location and is not being visited. She has vehemently denied all claims.
The military has limited access to information about her trial and enforced a gag order on her attorneys. The trial has been dubbed a farce by the international community.
According to the junta, Suu Kyi is treated fairly by an impartial court.