Former Rakhine minister U Kyaw Lwin released after completing jail term

 The former Rakhine State minister for agriculture, forestry and minerals (under the National League for Democracy government), U Kyaw Lwin has been released from Sittwe prison after his jail term was completed.

Kyaw Lwin was released on Friday, informing U Myat Tun of Rakhine Human Rights Promotion and Defender, while talking to Narinjara News.

Hailing from Rambree area of Kyauk Phyu district, Kyaw Lwin was arrested along with five other Rakhine ministers (all were associated with the Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led NLD government in Arakan State) and later charged under section 55 of the Anti-Corruption Act.

On 19 January, he was sentenced to three years in prison by the Sittwe special court and thus his jail term was over on 20 October. Kyaw Lwin was sent for medical examinations in Yangon.

Other Rakhine arrestess namely U Nyi Pu (former Rakhine Prime Minister),  U Aung Kyaw Zan (former State minister  for electricity, industry and transportation), U Kyaw Aye Thein (former minister for planning & economy) and U Min Aung (former minister for municipality) were sentenced with a long prison term. Currently, Nyi Pu has been shifted from Sittwe jail to Insein prison in Yangon.

The military council argued that all of them were sentenced to long-term prison terms as they were involved with massive corruption and also in tempering of tenders for Gwa township development projects.