Myanmar’s Supreme Court heard final arguments on Wednesday in appeals by ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her convictions in two cases in which she was charged with election fraud and breaching the Official Secrets Act, a legal official said.
Suu Kyi, 78, was arrested when the army seized power from her elected government in February 2021. She has been convicted of a string of criminal offenses and sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison, mostly on charges brought by the military government.
Suu Kyi’s supporters and legal experts say the cases are an attempt to legitimise the military’s seizure of power while discrediting her and preventing her return to politics.
Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing was closed to the media and public. Her lawyers were served with gag orders in late 2021, restricting them from releasing information. Neither Suu Kyi nor any of her co-defendants attended the hearing.
The legal official, who is familiar with Suu Kyi’s court cases and spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to release information, said the Supreme Court could reach its decisions in the next two months. He said Suu Kyi’s lawyers submitted final arguments on her behalf in the two cases, while prosecutors presented their arguments against her release.
The legal official said the lawyers also filed appeal arguments on behalf of former President Win Myint and Min Thu, a former minister of the government office, who were convicted with Suu Kyi in the election fraud case. All three received three-year prison sentences last September.
In the Official Secrets Act case, Suu Kyi received a three-year sentence last September after being convicted with Sean Turnell.