FREE ASEAN | FREE MYANMAR | YANGON- Myanmar court postpones two hearings in Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial

February 5, 2022 Contributor 0 Comment FREE ASEAN | FREE MYANMAR | YANGON- Myanmar court postpones two hearings in Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial

In this file photo taken on July 17, 2019, Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi attends the opening ceremony of the Yangon Innovation Centre in Yangon. AFP PHOTO

February 5, 2022

THE STRAITS TIMES – A court in Myanmar postponed two hearings this week in the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, a source with knowledge of proceedings said yesterday, after the media reported that the ousted leader had not been feeling well.

Suu Kyi had been due in court on Thursday and yesterday for hearings on corruption charges related to the leasing and purchase of a helicopter while in office.

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United States-funded RFA (Radio Free Asia) reported that Suu Kyi was allowed to miss the hearings at the request of her doctor because she was suffering from dizziness and nausea.

The next hearing is due on February 10, RFA reported.

The source with knowledge of proceedings, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, could not confirm the report on her health or the timing of the next hearing.

Suu Kyi, 76, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is on trial in more than a dozen cases that carry a combined maximum sentence of more than 150 years in prison.

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(FILES) This photograph taken on February 25, 2016 shows Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi departs following a meeting with newly appointed ministers from the National League of Democracy (NLD) party at the parliament building in Naypyidaw. – Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi returned to a junta court after skipping a previous hearing due to feeling unwell, a source with knowledge of the case said on February 4, 2022. (Photo by AFP)

She has already been sentenced to a total of six years in detention for other cases, in legal proceedings derided by her supporters, some Western governments, and human rights groups asa sham.

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A new bribery charge was also announced against Suu Kyi on Thursday, accusing her of receiving a USD550,000 donation from a businessman, the state broadcaster reported.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyi is also due in court for the beginning of an election fraud trial on February 14, after she was accused of influencing the 2020 vote to win a second term in office.

Suu Kyi has previously denied all the charges. Her lawyers have been barred from speaking about her cases.

A spokesman for the junta, which overthrew Suu Kyi’s government in a coup in February last year, did not answer a call seeking comment.

The military government has previously said that Suu Kyi would be afforded due process by an independent court.