Myanmar junta charges deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi with corruption

The 75-year-old Nobel laureate, who has been in custody since the February coup, faces a raft of criminal charges

The latest charges relate to allegations she accepted bribes of US$600,000 in cash and about 11kg of gold

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Aung San Suu Kyi spent more than 15 years under house arrest before her 2010 release. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:30pm, 10 Jun 2021Updated: 12:42pm, 10 Jun 2021

The Myanmar junta has hit deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi with corruption charges over claims she accepted illegal payments of gold and more than half a million dollars in cash, state media reported on Thursday.

The country has been in turmoil since the generals ousted Suu Kyi on February 1, with nearly 850 civilians killed in a brutal crackdown by security forces on near-daily protests against the coup.

The 75-year-old Nobel laureate, who has been in custody since the coup, faces a raft of wide-ranging criminal charges, including sedition and breaching a colonial-era secrecy law.

The latest charges relate to allegations by the former Yangon region chief minister that Suu Kyi illegally accepted US$600,000 in cash from him along with around 11kg of gold.

The Anti-Corruption Commission found evidence that Suu Kyi had committed “corruption using her rank”, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper. “So she was charged under Anti-Corruption Law section 55.”

She is also accused of abusing her authority when renting two areas of land for her charitable foundation.

After weeks of legal wrangling, two of Suu Kyi’s trials are due to start in earnest next week, hearing evidence from witnesses.