Myanmar: Six more years of prison time for Aung San Suu Kyi in more corruption cases
Bangkok, Aug 15: A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country's ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on more corruption charges on Monday, adding six years to her earlier 11-year prison sentence, a legal official said.
The trial was held behind closed doors, with no access for media or the public, and her lawyers were forbidden by a gag order from revealing information about the proceedings.
In the four corruption cases decided Monday, Suu Kyi was alleged to have abused her position to rent public land at below market prices and to have built a residence with donations meant for charitable purposes. She received sentences of three years for each of the four counts, but the sentences for three of them will be served concurrently, giving her a total of six more years in prison.
She denied all the charges, and her lawyers are expected to appeal.
She already had been sentenced to 11 years in prison on sedition, corruption and other charges at earlier trials after the military ousted her elected government and detained her in February 2021.
Analysts say the numerous charges against her and her allies are an attempt to legitimize the military's seizure of power while eliminating her from politics before the military holds an election it has promised for next year.
Suu Kyi and her co-defendants have denied all the allegations and their lawyers are expected to file appeals in the coming days, said the legal official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to release information and feared punishment by the authorities.
Other top members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party and her government have also been arrested and imprisoned, and the authorities have suggested they might dissolve the party before the next election.
The army seized power and detained Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, the day when her party would have started a second-five year term in office after it won a landslide victory in a November 2020 general election. The army said it acted because there had been massive voting fraud, but independent election observers did not find any major irregularities.
The army's takeover sparked peaceful nationwide street protests that security forces quashed with lethal force, triggering armed resistance that some U.N. experts now characterize as civil war. The military government has been accused of human rights abuses including arbitrary arrests and killings, torture, and military sweeps that include air attacks on civilians and the burning of entire villages.
Suu Kyi, 77, has been the face of opposition to military rule in Myanmar for more than three decades. She won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize while under house arrest.
Her five years as its civilian government leader were marked by repression and military dominance even though it was Myanmar's most democratic period since a 1962 coup.
Suu Kyi has been charged with a total of 11 counts under the Anti-Corruption Act, with each count punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine.
In Monday's verdicts, the legal official said Suu Kyi received a three-year prison sentence for building a residence for herself in Naypyitaw, allegedly with money donated for a charitable foundation named after her mother that she chaired.
She received a three-year sentence for allegedly taking advantage of her position to rent property in Yangon, the country's biggest city, for the same foundation, the official said.
The two other cases decided Monday involved parcels of land in Naypyitaw for which she allegedly abused her authority to rent at below market prices for the foundation. She received a sentence of three years for each of those cases.
The three cases pertaining to offenses in Naypyitaw are to be served concurrently.
The former mayor of Naypyitaw, Myo Aung, was a co-defendant in both cases relating to granting permits to rent the land. Ye Min Oo, the former vice mayor, is a co-defendant in one case and Min Thu, a former member of the Naypyitaw Development Committee, in the other. Each received sentences of three years.
The government Anti-Corruption Commission, which filed the case, had alleged that the rental fees agreed upon by the Naypyitaw Development Committee were lower than the rate fixed by the Ministry of Planning and Finance, so that the rental agreement deprived the state of revenue it should have received.
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Viral clip shows reckless driving, stunts in Delhi; five arrested
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested five people after registering an FIR in connection with a viral video that showed a group of men performing dangerous stunts in speeding cars on Delhi roads, an official said on Sunday.
The police also recovered four vehicles allegedly involved in the incident, he said.
The video, which surfaced on social media platform X, showed several cars moving at high speed, swerving and zigzagging through traffic on Ring Road, with some occupants seen standing out of sunroofs and windows while shouting as the vehicles sped past other motorists.
The footage triggered sharp reactions online, with users demanding immediate police action and flagging the serious threat to public safety.
According to police, the video came to notice on December 27 and appeared to have been recorded around 10.44 pm on December 26, when the cars were travelling from the ITO stretch towards Sarai Kale Khan and Noida.
"Considering the seriousness of the matter and concerns related to public safety, cognisance was taken and an FIR was registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act," the police in a statement said.
During the course of investigation, five accused people were apprehended on Sunday and four offending vehicles were recovered, he added.
The accused have been identified as Almas Arshad (20), Sarfaraj (26), Mohd Imran Qureshi (23), Mohd Shabbir (23), Saad Abdullah (22), all are residents of Delhi.
The clip had been shared by a social media user who urged authorities to take strict action, saying such "extremely dangerous" driving put the lives of other commuters at serious risk and could lead to fatal accidents.
The video drew strong reactions from several users, some of whom described reckless driving and stunt behaviour as a regular occurrence on Delhi roads, while others pointed to an apparent lack of fear of law enforcement among violators.
Earlier, responding to the post, Delhi Traffic Police acknowledged the complaint and advised the user to formally report the incident for further action. In a subsequent message, the traffic police also said that in such cases, people could contact the nearest police station or dial the emergency number 112 for immediate assistance.
A senior officer said the swift action reflected the commitment of Delhi Police to road safety. "Citizens are requested to follow traffic rules and road safety guidelines to ensure safe movement on roads. Any violation will invite strict legal action," he said.
Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain if any additional people were involved.
📍Delhi: Reckless driving on Ring Road from ITO towards Sarai Kale Khan.
— Deadly Kalesh (@Deadlykalesh) December 27, 2025
Seems like Delhi’s pollution is hitting brains harder than lungs.
Extremely dangerous driving, risking lives on a public road.
📹 10:44 PM | 26 Dec
Strict action needed.
pic.twitter.com/sr2zjjUppJ
