A PROMINENT Myanmar lawyer defending a close ally of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been arrested and charged with financing terrorism, said a source close to the case today.

Suu Kyi’s government was pushed out last year in a coup d’etat by the powerful military, who alleged that she and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party committed electoral fraud in a 2020 poll.

The power seizure triggered widespread protests and dissent, which the junta sought to quell with a sweeping crackdown.

The 76-year-old Nobel laureate has been under house arrest since the February 1, 2021, coup, while members of her government are either jailed or currently in hiding.

Lawyer Yut Nu Aung was arrested in Mandalay on Wednesday and charged with financing terrorism, said the source, who requested for anonymity.

She had been representing former Mandalay chief minister and NLD stalwart Zaw Myint Maung, who, like Suu Kyi, is currently fighting corruption charges in a junta court.

Local media reported the arrest and charge, which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum penalty of life in jail.

Yut Nu Aung will be held in court custody until May 12, said the source.

NLD lawmakers dominate a shadow National Unity Government (NUG) that is working to overturn the coup and claims to be directing so-called People’s Defence Force (PDF) militia across the country.

The junta has declared the NUG and PDF groups as “terrorists”, meaning it is illegal for anyone, including journalists, to contact them.

Suu Kyi’s legal team have also been muzzled from talking to media since October.

A court in Naypyidaw sentenced Suu Kyi to five years on Wednesday for taking a bribe of US$600,000 (RM2.6 million) cash and gold bars from a former Yangon chief minister.

Suu Kyi has already been jailed for six years 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.

The junta’s crackdown has left more than 1,700 civilians dead and about 13,000 others arrested, according to a local monitoring group. – AFP, April 29, 2022.