Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to an additional three years in prison after a court found her guilty of participating in election fraud.
The conviction adds to previous convictions which now leave her with a full prison sentence of 26 years, a legal official said.
The 77-year-old Nobel laureate, a leading figure in opposition to military rule, faces charges of at least 18 offenses ranging from corruption to election violations, which carry combined maximum sentences of nearly 190 years .
Grafting is defined as taking advantage of your political position or government employment by dishonestly or fraudulently taking money or property.
Suu Kyi called the charges against her absurd and denied any wrongdoing.
She is being held in solitary confinement in the capital, Naypyitaw, and her trials have been held behind closed doors.
The latest charges related to allegations that Suu Kyi took bribes from a businessman, the source said, who
declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
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Suu Kyi was sentenced to three years in prison on two counts, to be served concurrently.
Army opponents say charges against Suu Kyi are aimed at preventing her from getting involved in politics
again or trying to challenge the military’s grip on power since last year’s coup.
The sentencing also jeopardizes the survival of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party following explicit threats by the government to disband it ahead of a military-promised new election in 2023.
Suu Kyi’s party won the 2020 general election in a landslide victory. But the military took over of Suu Kyi’s elected government on February 1, 2021, saying he acted due to alleged widespread voter fraud.
Independent election observers found no major irregularities.
Two senior officials from Suu Kyi’s former government were co-defendants in the case and were also sentenced to three years in prison.