Ousted Myanmar head denied appeal in corruption cases

BANGKOK — Myanmar’s Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear special appeals from the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her convictions in six corruption cases where she was found guilty of abusing her authority and accepting bribes, a legal official said.

The 78-year-old Suu Kyi, who was arrested when the army toppled her elected government in February 2021, is serving prison sentences totaling 27 years after being convicted of a string of criminal charges mostly brought by the military.

Her supporters and independent analysts say the charges, all of which have been contested by Suu Kyi and her lawyers, are bogus and an attempt to discredit her and legitimize the military’s seizure of power.

She initially received sentences totaling 33 years but Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military government, granted her clemency in five cases and reduced her sentence by six years as part of a broader amnesty for more than 7,000 prisoners to mark a Buddhist religious holiday in August.

The legal official, who is familiar with Suu Kyi’s court cases, said the appeals that the court in the capital Naypyitaw declined to hear included four cases in which she was convicted for abusing her position to rent parcels of land and property in Naypyitaw and Yangon, the country’s biggest city.

The cases alleged that she had obtained the land at below-market prices for a charitable foundation that she chaired and had built a residence for herself on one plot with money donated for the foundation.

The legal official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information.