BANGKOK (AP) — A courtroom in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the nation’s former chief Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption and sentenced her to 5 years in jail Wednesday within the first of a number of corruption instances towards her.

Suu Kyi, who was ousted by a military takeover final yr, had denied the allegation that she had accepted gold and a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} given her as a bribe by a high political colleague.

Her supporters and impartial authorized specialists think about her prosecution an unjust transfer to discredit Suu Kyi and legitimize the navy’s seizure of energy whereas retaining the 76-year-old elected chief from returning to an energetic function in politics.

She has already been sentenced to 6 years imprisonment in different instances and faces 10 extra corruption costs. The utmost punishment beneath the Anti-Corruption Act is 15 years in jail and a positive. Convictions within the different instances might carry sentences of greater than 100 years in jail in complete for a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who already spent years in detention for defying navy rule.

Information of Wednesday’s verdict got here from a authorized official who requested to not be recognized as a result of he isn’t approved to launch such info. Suu Kyi’s trial within the capital Naypyitaw was closed to the media, diplomats and spectators, and her attorneys had been barred from talking to the press.

Suu Kyi’s Nationwide League for Democracy social gathering received a landslide victory within the 2020 common election, however lawmakers weren’t allowed to take their seats when the military seized energy on Feb. 1, 2021, arresting Suu Kyi and plenty of senior colleagues in her social gathering and authorities. The military claimed it acted as a result of there had been huge electoral fraud, however impartial election observers didn’t discover any main irregularities.

The takeover was met with massive nonviolent protests nationwide, which safety forces quashed with deadly pressure that has to date led to the deaths of just about 1,800 civilians, in accordance with a watchdog group, the Help Affiliation for Political Prisoners.

As repression escalated, armed resistance towards the navy authorities grew, and a few U.N. specialists now characterize the nation as being in a state of civil battle.

Suu Kyi has not been seen or allowed to talk in public since she was detained and is being held in an undisclosed location. Nonetheless, finally week’s last listening to within the case, she gave the impression to be in good well being and requested her supporters to “keep united,” stated a authorized official conversant in the proceedings who requested to not be named as a result of he isn’t approved to launch info.

In earlier instances, Suu Kyi was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment on convictions of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions and sedition.

Within the case determined Wednesday, she was accused of receiving $600,000 and 7 gold bars in 2017-18 from Phyo Min Thein, the previous chief minister of Yangon, the nation’s largest metropolis and a senior member of her political social gathering. Her attorneys, earlier than they had been served with gag orders late final yr, stated she rejected all his testimony towards her as “absurd.”

The 9 different instances at present being tried beneath the Anti-Corruption Act embody a number of associated to the acquisition and rental of a helicopter by one in all her former Cupboard ministers. Violations of the regulation carry a most penalty for every offense of 15 years in jail and a positive.

Suu Kyi can also be charged with diverting cash meant as charitable donations to construct a residence, and with misusing her place to acquire rental properties at lower-than-market costs for a basis named after her mom. The state Anti-Corruption Fee has declared that a number of of her alleged actions disadvantaged the state of income it will in any other case have earned.

One other corruption cost alleging that she accepted a bribe has not but gone to trial.

Suu Kyi can also be being tried on a cost of violating the Official Secrets and techniques Act, which carries a most sentence of 14 years, and on a cost alleging election fraud, which carries a most sentence of three years.