Former Rakhine PM and State municipal minister sentenced to 4 months in prison or fined kyat 50,000

Mya Htwe Shin, Narinjara News, 7 April  2022

Former Rakhine State Prime Minister U Nyi Pu and State municipal minister U Min Aung, who had already faced imprisonment for  more than 10 years, was sentenced to four months (if they cannot pay the fine amounting to kyat 50000)  on Wednesday in another case of election
frauds.

According to their lawyer Kyaw Soe Lin, they were sentenced by the special court of  Sittwe prison for four months in prison  if they do not pay the fine (kyat 50000).

“If they pay the fine, they need not to go for extra four months behind the bars. Both of them denied initially to pay the amount, but an NLD leader paid kyat 50000 for each in the court. So, the judge cancelled those extra months in prison,”  added the lawyer.

Both were accused of committing election  frauds during the 2020 national elections. On 8 December, Rakhine State Election Commission deputy director U Thurin Htut charged U Nyi Pu under section 130 (a) of the Penal Code. On the other hand, U Min Aung  was charged under
section 109 for aiding and abetting U Nyi Pu's election  frauds.

Both were charged under these sections by the Sittwe special prison court on 3 March.

They were sentenced along with three other former ministers under section 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law on 19 January by the special prison court, where U Nyi Pu was sentenced to nine years and U Min Aung to seven years.

In addition, U Nyi Pu was also sentenced with  hard labour and two more years in prison for a defamation case against the State under section 505 (b) of the Penal Code.