Verdict today

YANGON, Apr 26 (AFP): A Myanmar junta court will hand down a verdict in the corruption trial of Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, in a case that could see the Nobel laureate jailed for 15 years.

Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since a military coup ousted her civilian government in February last year, ending the country's brief period of democracy.

She has since been hit with a raft of criminal charges, including violating the official secrets act, corruption and electoral fraud, and she faces more than 150 years in jail if convicted on all counts.

A verdict in the corruption trial, in which Suu Kyi is accused of accepting a bribe of $600,000 cash and gold bars, had been scheduled for Tuesday, said a source close to the case.

But the hearings were "adjourned" without a verdict, which is now scheduled for Wednesday, the source added.

Suu Kyi has already been sentenced to six years in jail for incitement against the military, breaching Covid-19 rules and breaking a telecommunications law-although she will remain under house arrest while she fights other charges.

Journalists have been barred from attending the special court hearings in the military-built capital Naypyidaw and Suu Kyi's lawyers have been banned from speaking to the media.

Suu Kyi is facing a total of 10 corruption charges-each with a possible 15-year jail term.