FILE PHOTO: Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi attends the joint news conference of the Japan-Mekong Summit Meeting at the Akasaka Palace State Guest House in Tokyo, Japan October 9, 2018. Franck Robichon/Pool via Reuters
(Reuters) -A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Wednesday sentenced deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison on charges of accepting a bribe, a source with knowledge of the matter said.
The 77-year-old Nobel laureate, a figurehead of opposition to military rule, faces charges for at least 18 offences ranging from graft to election violations, carrying combined maximum terms of nearly 190 years.
Suu Kyi has called the accusations against her absurd and denied any wrongdoing. She is being held in solitary confinement in the capital, Naypyitaw, and her trials have been conducted in closed courts.
The latest charges were related to allegations Suu Kyi accepted bribes from a businessman, said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Suu Kyi received three-year jail sentences on two charges, to be served concurrently.
Opponents of the military say the charges against Suu Kyi are aimed at blocking her from ever getting involved in politics again or trying to challenge the military's grip on power since last year's coup.
A junta spokesperson did not answer calls seeking comment on Wednesday. The junta insists Myanmar's courts are independent and those arrested are receiving due process.
(Reporting by Reuters Staff;Writing by Ed Davies;Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel)
