Suu Kyi verdict set for Friday

A Burmese government official said the court presiding over the trial of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will deliver its verdict on Friday.

Judge Thaung Nyunt announced the date today as the high-profile trial concluded with Suu Kyi’s defence lawyers giving their closing statements, said the official.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate is accused of violating the terms of her house arrest by harbouring an uninvited American man who swam to her lakeside home and stayed for two days.

Suu Kyi faces up to five years in prison and is widely expected to be convicted.

Suu Kyi has been detained for nearly 14 of the last 20 years.