A court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in jail on Wednesday after finding her guilty in the first of 11 corruption cases against her, according to a source with knowledge of proceedings. The Nobel laureate, who led Myanmar for five years before being forced from power in a coup in early 2021, has been charged with at least 18 offenses, which carry combined maximum jail terms of nearly 190 years if found guilty.
The judge in the capital Naypyidaw handed down the verdict within moments of the court convening, said the source, who declined to be identified because the trial is being held behind closed doors, with information restricted. The case centered on allegations that Suu Kyi, 76, accepted 11.4 kg (402 oz) of gold and cash payments totaling $600,000 from her protege-turned-accuser, former Yangon chief minister Phyo Min Thein.
Suu Kyi had denied the charges and called the allegations "absurd."
