Myanmar court sends Aung San Suu Kyi to five years in jail for corruption

Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted civilian leader of Myanmar and Nobel laureate, was on Wednesday found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in jail, sources reported.

A Myanmar junta court accused the 76-year-old leader of accepting a bribe of $600,000 cash and gold bars.

The case was the first of 11 corruption charges against Suu Kyi, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. 

Sources quoted by agencies declined to be identified because her trials were being held behind closed doors.

Journalists remained barred from attending the court hearings, while Suu Kyi's lawyers were have been banned from speaking to the media.

Since a military coup deposed her government in February last year, plunging the country into a major civil unrest, Suu Kyi had been facing a barrage of criminal cases that could see her jailed for decades.

The 76-year-old was already sentenced to six years in jail for incitement against the military, breaching Covid-19 rules and breaking a telecommunications law  although she will remain under house arrest while she fights other charges.