Myanmar jails Suu Kyi 3 years for bribery

A court in Myanmar has sentenced deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to three years in prison on charges of accepting a bribe.

The 77-year-old Nobel laureate, a figurehead of opposition to military rule, faces charges for at least 18 offenses ranging from graft to election violations, carrying combined maximum terms of nearly 190 years.

Sources say the latest charges are related to allegations Suu Kyi accepted bribes from a businessman.

Suu Kyi received three-year jail sentences on two charges, to be served concurrently.

Also Read: Myanmar court sentences Suu Kyi to six years in prison

Suu Kyi has called the accusations against her absurd and denied any wrongdoing.

She is being held in solitary confinement in the capital, Naypyitaw, and her trials have been conducted in closed courts.

Opponents of the military say the charges against Suu Kyi are aimed at blocking her from ever getting involved in politics again or trying to challenge the military’s grip on power since last year’s coup.

The junta insists Myanmar’s courts are independent and those arrested are receiving due process.

Zainab Sa’id