Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi convicted of corruption and gets five years added to sentence

Bangkok — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption and sentenced her to five years in prison Wednesday in the first of several corruption cases against her that could keep her behind bars for the rest of her life.

Suu Kyi, who was ousted by an army takeover last year, had denied the allegation that she had accepted gold and hundreds of thousands of dollars given her as a bribe by a top political colleague.

Her supporters and independent legal experts consider her prosecution an unjust move to discredit Suu Kyi and legitimize the military's seizure of power while keeping the 76-year-old elected leader from returning to an active role in politics.