Ex-NLD minister ‘testifies’ against Aung San Suu Kyi

On October 1st, Phyo Min Thein, former Yangon Region chief minister and NLD leader, testified in courts against Aung San Suu Kyi as the Tatmadaw’s charged Suu Kyi of corruption and graft. He confessed that he bribed her with $600,000 and about 11 kilograms of gold to support his business.

For context, the junta has charged Suu Kyi of corruption and graft since March, releasing a video of Min Thein stating how he bribed Suu Kyi in 2017 and 2018. However, netizens caught that Min Thein’s mouth was not moving at the same time as the audio. Thus, on October 1st, he repeated these to the courts. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi  claims that these allegations are “all absurd”. It is important to note that Min Thein was one of Suu Kyi’s main confidantes in the political sphere in the NLD, many rumors even spread that he was to take her position if she stepped down. Furthermore, another important point is that Min Thein was imprisoned from 1991 to 2005 for taking part in the protests against the junta. Some media sources, like the independent “Myanmar Now”, claims that this is just the Tatamadaw in their “old tricks”, most likely holding against Min Thein that they have his wife detained, as well. Meanwhile, Suu Kyi’s lawyers claim that Min Thein was clearly coerced to confess, without making any eye contact with Suu Kyi and having quiet and stiff statements. He also had two cases of COVID-19 in the last year, while he was retained. 

The hearing continues on October 8th, wherein Min Thein will be summoned again and Suu Kyi’s lawyers will be more ready as last time they refused to question him because they were not allowed to study the case files or consult Suu Kyi for this hearing, until right before it started. These court proceedings persist as the junta continues violence against protestors and as Facebook’s algorithm recently was exposed as inciting violence against protestors in Myanmar.

Sources:

https://www.myanmar-now.org/en/news/phyo-min-thein-testimony-is-just-the…

https://www.myanmar-now.org/en/news/former-nld-chief-minister-testifies-…

https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/daw-aung-san-su-kyi-calls-testimonies-by-…

https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmars-daw-aung-san-suu-kyi-says-…

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/07/facebooks-role-in-mya…