Ousted Mandalay mayor Dr. Ye Lwin. / The Irrawaddy
A Myanmar junta court has sentenced Mandalay mayor, Dr. Ye Lwin, of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government to two years in prison for misappropriation of public funds under the colonial-era Penal Code.
A Mandalay municipality member, U Kyaw Zeya, was also handed a two-year term.
A lawyer said: “Dr. Ye Lwin was accused of embezzling public funds while mayor. Ko Kyaw Zeya was also given two more years. Both of them faced fresh charges a few months before they completed their prison terms for previous charges.”
Dr. Ye Lwin was briefly detained following the coup on February 1, 2021, and resigned as mayor on February 5.
On February 8 his Facebook profile picture showed an anti-regime, three-finger salute and the slogan “Together with the people”. He was charged under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code for incitement at Aungmyaythazan Township court 10 days later.
In December 2021 he was sentenced to two years in jail for inciting civil servants to join the civil disobedience movement.
The regime filed a fresh corruption charge against the 71-year-old in November last year, less than a month before he completed his prison term and he was given two more years on Friday.
The misappropriation charge under Article 409 of the Penal Code carries either life imprisonment or up to 10 years in jail.
