Suu Kyi lawyer could face prison term
19 Jun 2012 3:10 AM GMT
Myanmar's main opposition spokesman could face up to six months in prison for making an accusation that ballot sheets were tampered with in April's landmark election, an official said on Monday.
Nyan Win, who is also democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer, is due in court on 26 June for complaining that a thin layer of wax had been put over check boxes for National League of Democracy [NLD] candidates. A mark made on the wax could later be rubbed off to cancel the vote.
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Thaung Hlaing, a senior official at the country's Election Commission, said the body had asked Nyan Win to publicly withdraw the allegation, which ‘affected the impression of the commission as we had conducted free and fair polls’.
However the NLD failed to respond to the request, leading the Election Commission to submit a complaint to Zabuthiri Court in the capital Naypyidaw, he added.Â
Suu Kyi's party went on to win 43 of the 44 constituencies where it fielded candidates, which gave Suu Kyi her first ever seat in parliament.
The authorities have said a subsequent investigation by the Election Commission found no evidence of ballot tampering. ‘I just want to say that I am not guilty,’ Nyan Win told AFP, adding that his lawyers were preparing evidence for the court hearing.
He faces up to six months in jail and a fine of USD 1.2 under section 182 of the penal code, which makes it an offence to give false information to a public servant.
A 2010 general election, won by the military's political proxies, was marred by widespread complaints of cheating and the exclusion of Suu Kyi, who was released from seven straight years of house arrest shortly afterwards.
Since then, the new nominally civilian government has pursued a series of dramatic political reforms.
Nyan Win, who is also democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer, is due in court on 26 June for complaining that a thin layer of wax had been put over check boxes for National League of Democracy [NLD] candidates. A mark made on the wax could later be rubbed off to cancel the vote.
Â
Thaung Hlaing, a senior official at the country's Election Commission, said the body had asked Nyan Win to publicly withdraw the allegation, which ‘affected the impression of the commission as we had conducted free and fair polls’.
However the NLD failed to respond to the request, leading the Election Commission to submit a complaint to Zabuthiri Court in the capital Naypyidaw, he added.Â
Suu Kyi's party went on to win 43 of the 44 constituencies where it fielded candidates, which gave Suu Kyi her first ever seat in parliament.
The authorities have said a subsequent investigation by the Election Commission found no evidence of ballot tampering. ‘I just want to say that I am not guilty,’ Nyan Win told AFP, adding that his lawyers were preparing evidence for the court hearing.
He faces up to six months in jail and a fine of USD 1.2 under section 182 of the penal code, which makes it an offence to give false information to a public servant.
A 2010 general election, won by the military's political proxies, was marred by widespread complaints of cheating and the exclusion of Suu Kyi, who was released from seven straight years of house arrest shortly afterwards.
Since then, the new nominally civilian government has pursued a series of dramatic political reforms.
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