‘Suu Kyi accepted bribes, misused her power’

A protester holds up a poster featuring Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration against the military coup in front of the Central Bank of Myanmar in Yangon. Pic/AFP

The Anti-Corruption Commission in military-ruled Myanmar has found that ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi accepted bribes and misused her authority to gain advantageous terms in real estate deals, government-controlled media reported on Thursday.

Suu Kyi's lawyers already denied the allegations when they were first raised three months ago by the military regime that toppled her elected government in a February coup. The commission's findings come as prosecutors are set to present their case on separate charges against Suu Kyi in court on Monday. Suu Kyi's supporters say all of the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to discredit her and legitimise the military's seizure of power. The coup has been wildly unpopular among Myanmar's people, who voted overwhelmingly for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party in last year's general election after a first five-year term in office.

If convicted of any of the offences, Suu Kyi could be banned from running in the next election, should there be one. The junta has claimed it will hold new elections, within the next year or two, but the country's military has a long history of promising elections and not following through. The military ruled Myanmar for 50 years after a coup in 1962, and kept Suu Kyi under house arrest for 15 years after a failed 1988 popular uprising against army rule.

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