Myanmar junta files eleventh corruption charge against Suu Kyi

Myanmar’s junta has filed an eleventh corruption charge against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it said on Thursday, the latest in a slew of indictments against the Nobel laureate who faces more than 150 years in prison.

Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the Feb 1 coup last year that triggered mass protests and a bloody crackdown on dissent with more than 1,500 civilians killed, according to a local monitoring group.

She has already been sentenced to six years in jail for incitement against the military, breaching Covid-19 rules and breaking a telecommunications law – although she will remain under house arrest while she fights other charges.

Police filed a further corruption charge against Suu Kyi for allegedly receiving US$550,000 as a donation for a charity foundation named after her mother, the junta’s information team said in a statement.

Each corruption charge carries a possible 15-year jail term.

The junta statement gave no details on when court proceedings would begin.

Suu Kyi is already on trial for breaching the official secrets act – where she is accused alongside detained Australian academic Sean Turnell – as well as several other corruption-related charges.

This week the junta announced she will face a further trial beginning mid-February on charges of influencing the country’s election commission during 2020 polls that saw her party defeat a military-aligned rival.