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Myanmar’s Suu Kyi awaits verdict in first corruption case -Breaking

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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi attends Invest Myanmar in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, January 28, 2019. REUTERS/Ann Wang

(Reuters) – Aung San Suu Kyi, the deposed leader of Myanmar, could spend up to 15 years behind bars when a military court is set to rule in her first corruption case.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi was forced to power last year in a coup. She has been accused of offences including incitement, graft, and violations of electoral laws and state secrets laws. These offenses carry combined maximum sentences exceeding 150 years.

In a string of trials, she was found guilty of two lesser offenses and given a six-year sentence. This is a serious blow to her chances of a comeback in politics as the leader of the nation’s fight against dictatorship.

A source close to the case said that the judge will decide Monday whether Suu Kyi was guilty of accepting bribes in the amount of $600,000. Also, 11.4 kilograms gold were received from Phyo Min thein (a Yangon former chief minister, once considered her successor).

In October, Phyo min Thein, a Suukyi protégé, said that he offered money and gold for her support. Suu Kyi dismissed the allegations. The junta broadcast them separately on national TV.

Suu Kyi (76) is currently being held at an undisclosed place, with no visitors. Suu Kyi denies any charges.

The military withheld information regarding her trial, and placed a gag order against her lawyers. The trial is regarded as a farce by the international community.

According to the junta, Suu Kyi has been given fair process by an impartial court.

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