Myanmar's Suu Kyi to face corruption trial

Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi will face a new trial for corruption by the country's military junta, her lawyer said Friday.

Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since her government was overthrown in a military coup in February, leading to mass protests and a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Her trial on four new charges of corruption will begin on October 1 with each count carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Ongoing trial

Suu Kyi is currently on trial for breaking coronavirus protocol during last year's election, which she won by a landslide, as well as illegally importing walkie-talkies and incitement to cause public alarm.

The junta also charged her with a litany of other offenses, including violating a colonial-era secrecy law and accepting illegal payments of gold. These charges, however, are yet to come to court.

Suu Kyi's poor health

The 76-year-old skipped the first day of her ongoing trial for health reasons. She was back in court the following day, but said she was still "somewhat dizzy."

The Nobel Peace laureate has spent half of the past three decades under some form of detention in Myanmar for her non-violent struggle against the country's military dictatorship.

Her last government was toppled after the military accused her National League for Democracy of voter fraud in the 2020 polls.

According to a local monitoring group, more than 1,000 people have killed and over 800 have been arrested in the ongoing unrest which has paralyzed the country.

The military said a state of emergency, in place since days after the coup, will be lifted and elections will be held by August 2023.

adi/sms (AFP, Reuters)