A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption Friday, December 30 2022, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the latest of a series of criminal cases against her, according to a legal official.
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Following a series of politically motivated prosecutions since the army deposed her elected government in February 2021, she now faces a total of 33 years in prison.
The case, which concluded on Friday, involved five anti-corruption offences and followed previous convictions on seven other corruption counts, each of which was punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine.
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Suu Kyi was accused of abusing her position and causing a loss of state funds by failing to follow financial regulations when granting permission to Win Myat Aye, a Cabinet member in her former government, to hire, buy, and maintain a helicopter.
Because of her age, the 33 years Suu Kyi now faces in prison “amount to an effective life sentence against her,” according to Robertson, who added that the convictions were intended to keep her out of politics and undermine her party’s landslide 2020 election victory.
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