Suu Kyi suffers exhaustion as court hearings mount

Bangkok, Oct 4 (EFE).- Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been suffering from exhaustion due to the high number of trials against her and has asked her hearings to be spaced out, her lawyers said on Monday.

One of the lawyers told EFE in a message that 76-year-old Suu Kyi urged the Naypyidaw court overseeing her cases to hold hearings every two weeks instead of weekly, as her health could be affected due to exhaustion.

The judge reserved a decision on the request for next week.

During Monday’s hearing, the court heard cases related to the Natural Disasters Act, for the alleged violation of Covid-19 guidelines, as well as charges related to illegal import of walkie-talkies and the violation of the communications act.

Suu Kyi, ousted by the military in the Feb. 1 coup, faces a string of charges filed by the military junta despite international calls for the release of the Nobel peace laureate.

On Friday. a court in the Myanmar capital held the first hearing for the four corruption charges leveled against her that carry a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison.

A former party colleague of Suu Kyi and the ex-leader of the Yangon region, Phyo Min Thein, testified in court against the former state counsellor and admitted paying her $600,000 and 11.4 kilograms of gold in bribes.

Suu Kyi’s lawyer, who chose to withhold their name, said that the same accusations were made by the junta in a video and the witness looked “depressed” during the hearing and refused to meet Suu Kyi’s eyes.

Suu Kyi is also accused of illegally acquiring land for a foundation she established in her mother’s memory, and allegedly building a house with the nonprofit’s funds.

The military has also accused her of violating the Official Secrets Act, a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.