Myanmar junta hits Suu Kyi with more corruption charges

Myanmar’s junta authorities have slapped more corruption charges on Aung San Suu Kyi, her lawyer said Tuesday, adding to an eclectic charge sheet that could see the Nobel laureate jailed for more than a decade.

A mass uprising in Myanmar against the military’s February coup has been met with a brutal crackdown that has killed more than 890 civilians, according to a local monitoring group.

Suu Kyi, 76, who is under house arrest, is already on trial for sedition, illegally importing walkie talkies and flouting coronavirus restrictions during elections last year which her party won in a landslide.

She will face four more charges of corruption, her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told reporters on Tuesday, adding to those she already faces over claims she illegally accepted US$600,000 in cash and around 11kg of gold.

Her legal team has yet to see “the first information reports and other documents”, he said, adding that the charges would be heard by a court in the second city of Mandalay from July 22.

Tuesday’s hearing on charges Suu Kyi violated Covid restrictions was adjourned, as no prosecution witnesses showed up, Khin Maung Zaw said.

On Monday a prosecution witness failed to testify after becoming infected with the coronavirus.

Infections are spiking in Myanmar, with the State Administration Council – as the military junta calls itself – reporting more than 5,000 new cases Monday, up from fewer than 50 per day in early May.