A court in Myanmar yesterday postponed its verdict in the trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow testimony from an additional witness, a senior member of her political party.
The court agreed with a defense motion that it allow Zaw Myint Maung, who had previously been unable to come to court for health reasons, to add his testimony, a legal official said.
The court had been scheduled to deliver a verdict yesterday on charges of incitement and breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
Photo: AP
The verdict would have been the first for the 76-year-old Nobel laureate since the army seized power on Feb. 1, arresting her and blocking her National League for Democracy party from starting a second term in office.
She is also being tried on a series of other charges, including corruption, that could send her to prison for dozens of years if convicted.
The judge adjourned the proceedings until Monday next week, when Zaw Myint Maung is scheduled to testify, said the legal official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, because the government has restricted the release of information about the trial. It was unclear when a verdict is to be issued.
The cases are widely seen as contrived to discredit Aung San Suu Kyi and keep her from running in the next election. The constitution bars anyone sentenced to prison from holding high office or becoming a lawmaker.
Zaw Myint Maung, who was chief minister of the Mandalay region, a major state-level post, was also detained when the army took over. He is vice chairman of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and a medical doctor, and, like her, faces several criminal charges, including corruption. He is 69 years old and reportedly suffers from leukemia.
He accompanied Aung San Suu Kyi during campaigning for last year’s election, including in Naypyidaw, where her presence was the basis for one of the charges of breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory in last year’s polls. The army, whose allied party lost many seats, claimed there was massive voting fraud, but independent election observers did not detect any major irregularities.
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