Court examines plaintiff in case of ousted Arakan State ministers charged with electoral law violations

By DMG 10 Mar 2022

DMG Newsroom
10 March 2022, Sittwe

The plaintiff in the case of former Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu and his subordinate municipal minister, U Min Aung, who were charged under the Penal Code for alleged violations of election law, was examined at a court hearing on Thursday, according to lawyers involved.

The two former ministers have been charged, but U Thurein Htut, the plaintiff, was reportedly recalled for further questioning.

The plaintiff was examined at a court hearing inside Sittwe Prison on March 10 and the accused will be questioned at the next court hearing on March 14, according to a lawyer for the defence.

U Nyi Pu and U Min Aung are in good health, according to the lawyer. The two deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) ministers were charged under Sections 109 and 130(a) of the Penal Code on March 3 for allegedly aiding and abetting fraud in Myanmar’s 2020 general election.

U Thurein Htut, deputy director of the Arakan State election subcommission, filed the case against the two men.

U Nyi Pu and four other detained NLD ministers for the deposed Arakan State government were given prison terms on corruption charges on January 19.

The court sentenced the ex-chief minister, former economic minister U Kyaw Aye Thein, and former Minister for Electricity and Transport U Aung Kyaw Zan to nine years in prison with hard labour. In addition, U Min Aung was sentenced to seven years in prison with hard labour, and former Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Mining U Kyaw Lwin received three years in prison with hard labour.

U Nyi Pu was also previously sentenced to two years in prison under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.

All of the ministers are being held in Sittwe Prison.