Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi faces five new corruption charges

According to a source close to the secret court where she is being tried, Myanmar's junta added five fresh corruption allegations against deposed National League for Democracy party president Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday, raising her total number of offences alleged to 16.

The charges, which also include former President Win Myint, stem from the NLD government's purchase and use of helicopters from the National Disaster Management Fund to carry out disaster prevention activities, according to a source from the court in the capital Naypyidaw who spoke on the condition of anonymity to RFA's Myanmar Service.

On Friday, Suu Kyi's legal team requested to represent her against the new allegations, and the court said it will consider the request on January 21.

The court heard testimony from Khin Mar Cho, the auditor general of Yangon region, who was brought before the court by junta prosecutors to testify about the corruption charges.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this week for illegally possessing walkie-talkies and violating COVID-19 guidelines, bringing her total prison time to six years in closed-door proceedings.

On Dec. 6, Suu Kyi and Win Myint were sentenced to two years in prison for inciting against the military and two years in prison for violating coronavirus restrictions, which were later lowered to two years of house arrest by junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Myanmar's military rulers have prohibited the former state counselor's lawyers from disclosing information or commenting publicly about the two cases under investigation since October.

All claims against her have been dismissed as political by her supporters, rights organisations, and foreign governments.

Suu Kyi and Win Myint were detained by the military shortly after the military overthrew the NLD administration on February 1, 2021.

According to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the junta claims voter fraud led to the NLD's landslide victory in the country's November 2020 election, but has yet to provide evidence for its claims. The junta has violently suppressed nationwide protests calling for a return to civilian rule, killing 1,469 people and arresting more than 8,600 in the 11 months since.

The junta has announced plans to sue Suu Kyi for allegedly rigging the ballot in the general election, in addition to the 16 charges she faces.
She would have to serve more than 160 years in prison if she received the maximum penalty for each of the counts.