Myanmar’s Suu Kyi on trial again in new corruption case

Aung San Suu Kyi has gone on trial in a new corruption case, in which she is accused of taking $550,000 in bribes from a construction magnate.

The ousted Myanmar leader is charged with two counts of corruption, each punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine.

Ms Suu Kyi has been detained since the army removed her elected government in February last year. She has not been seen in public since.

She has already been sentenced to 11 years in jail, after being convicted of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, breaching coronavirus restrictions, sedition and another corruption charge.

The beginning of Ms Suu Kyi’s trial on Monday was confirmed by a legal official.

She is accused of receiving money in 2019 and 2020 from Maung Weik, who was previously convicted of drug trafficking.

The official said payments Mr Weik made in 2019 and 2020 are being treated separately.

Mr Weik said last year that he gave Ms Suu Kyi the money from 2018 to 2020. He said he gave her $100,000 in 2018 for a charitable foundation named after her mother and she was paid $450,000 from 2019 to 2020 for purposes he did not specify.

Under Ms Suu Kyi’s government, Mr Weik won a major development project in central Myanmar’s Mandalay region.

Mr Weik, as chairman of a property development company, was close to some of the country’s generals who were in power during a previous military government.

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2008 for drug trafficking and released in 2014. He then returned to doing business with former military officials.

Ms Suu Kyi’s supporters say the cases are an attempt to discredit her.