<\/P>
Myanmar\u2019s junta on Friday leveled five new corruption charges against deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) party chief Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a source close to the secret court where she is being tried, bringing the total number of crimes she stands accused of to 16.<\/P>
The charges, which were also brought against former President Win Myint, are related to the purchase and use of helicopters from the National Disaster Management Fund to carry out disaster prevention activities under the NLD government, the source from the court in the capital Naypyidaw told RFA\u2019s Myanmar Service, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/P>
Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s legal team applied to represent her against the new charges on Friday and was told by the court that it would review the request on Jan. 21.<\/P>
During Friday\u2019s hearing, the court heard the testimony of Khin Mar Cho, the auditor general of Yangon region, who was presented by junta prosecutors to speak about the corruption charges.<\/P>
Earlier this week, the court sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison for the illegal possession of walkie-talkies and breaking COVID-19 rules, raising to six years the jail time imposed on her in closed-door proceedings.<\/P>
On Dec. 6 Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint received two years for incitement against the military and two years for violating coronavirus restrictions, which junta chief Min Aung Hlaing reduced to two years of house arrest.<\/P>
The former state counselor\u2019s lawyers have been barred since October by Myanmar\u2019s military rulers from releasing information or speaking publicly about the two cases being tried.<\/P>
She has rejected all allegations, which her supporters, rights groups and foreign governments have condemned as political.<\/P>
Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint were arrested by the military shortly after its Feb. 1, 2021, coup, which brought down the NLD government.<\/P>
The junta says voter fraud led to the NLD\u2019s landslide victory in the country\u2019s November 2020 election but has yet to provide evidence for its claims and has violently suppressed nationwide protests calling for a return to civilian rule, killing 1,469 people and arresting more than 8,600 in the 11 months since, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.<\/P>
In addition to the 16 charges Aung San Suu Kyi faces, the junta has announced plans to sue her for allegedly fixing the ballot in the general election. If she receives the maximum punishment for each of the charges, she will have to serve more than 160 years in prison.<\/P>
A pretext for removal <\/P>
Observers told RFA that the new charges are part of a bid by the junta to remove Aung San Suu Kyi from the country\u2019s political arena.<\/P>
Min Lwin Oo, a Norway-based human rights attorney, said a helicopter is a necessary asset for any leader who hopes to manager their country\u2019s natural disasters.<\/P>
\u201cWithout that helicopter, she might need to request that the Air Force provide her with transportation,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it is the good reason to file the charges against her. It\u2019s a pretext to exclude her from politics permanently.\u201d<\/P>
Tint Swe, a former colleague of Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s who took part in the country\u2019s 1990 election and now lives in the U.S., called the new charges \u201cpart of the scheme the military regime has been using to bump up sentences.<\/P>
\u201cI see these charges as a pretext by the military regime to remove her from politics and prevent her from becoming an elected official, once and for all,\u201d he said.<\/P>
\u201cJudging from their actions, we cannot trust their pledge to return to the democracy [through new elections]. I think they are increasing the charges as international pressure mounts to show that they are not bothered by it.\u201d<\/P>
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the accusations formed part of a trend of \u201cbogus charges\u201d against Aung San Suu Kyi, \u201call with the intent purpose of prosecuting her and making sure that she is never free to contest the power of the military regime.\u201d<\/P>
\u201cThey see it as a justification for their coup. They\u2019re using this as an example of why they had to get rid of her and so from their perspective the more charges the better,\u201d he said.<\/P>
\u201cBut you know, she\u2019s already 76. If they give her 10 years or they give her 100 years of time in detention, it\u2019s still going to be the same result because she\u2019s not going to be able to be freed again and certainly not going to be able to assume her position as the elected leader of Myanmar.\u201d<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
Copyright \u00a9 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036Radio Free Europe–Copyright (c) 2015. RFE\/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. <\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P>
<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Myanmar\u2019s junta on Friday leveled five new corruption charges against deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) party chief Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a source close to the secret court where she is being tried, bringing the total number of crime…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n