One of the generals was a close friend and confidant of junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing
On Wednesday (Oct. 11), a military court in Myanmar sentenced two high-ranking generals to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for receiving bribes, illegally holding foreign currency, and breaking military laws.
One of the generals was a close friend and confidant of junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing.
Lt. Gen. Moe Myint Tun, one of the generals, was detained last month and forced out of his leadership roles on various trade and financial committees. In the State Administration Council, the official name of the military junta that seized power in a coup d’état in February 2021, he was the seventh-highest-ranking official.
According to Radio Free Asia, his dismissal was a part of a crackdown on exporters and other entrepreneurs as the junta attempts to raise foreign funds in the face of sanctions and skyrocketing commodities prices.
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According to Myanmar Now, the generals were charged with earning millions of dollars through their interactions with palm oil traders and by taking advantage of the difference between the official exchange rate of 2,100 kyats to the U.S. dollar and the market rate.
Brig. Gen. Yan Naung Soe, the other general, was also detained last month. He served as the joint secretary of the Central Committee on Ensuring the Smooth Flow of Trade and Goods, which is in charge of obtaining dollars for use in trade licencing and other business dealings.
According to a statement from the junta, the 20-year sentences for both men are equivalent to life in jail.