It was learned that U Hla Soe, the former Chief Minister of Yangon Region, who served under the State Administration Council (SAC) and prosecuted under the anti-corruption law, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on December 8.
In addition, U Aung Than Oo, the former Minister of Economic Affairs of Yangon Region who was prosecuted along with U Hla Soe, was also sentenced to 20 years in prison, and former Yangon Region Government Secretary U Soe Soe Zaw was sentenced to six years in prison.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) announced on June 15, 2022 that a case has been opened against U Hla Soe, former Chief Minister of Yangon Region Government, former Minister of Economic Affairs U Aung Than Oo and Secretary U Soe Soe Zaw under the Anti-Corruption Law and Former Chief Minister U Hla Soe and former Minister U Aung Than Oo sold plots of land between June 22, 2021 and January 21, 2022 by the decision of the Yangon Region Government Lands Management Committee meeting, but did not comply with the President's Office's Directive No. 1/2017. They allowed the Internal Revenue Department of the region to reduce below the market price for nine land plots (about 262 acres) located in Shwepyithar, Dagon Seikkan, North Dagon, South Dagon, Dala and Thingangyun townships, which caused to lose more than 38,000 million kyats of state funds and which is not in accordance with the existing law and violated rules and regulation, and procedure. Secretary U Soe Soe Zaw was a member of the government land management committee and applied for land and he didn’t report that the value of the land for sale was much lower than the current value, and some people who had the right to buy the land were directly contacted and presented to be able to allocate the land.
In addition, when former Chief Minister U Hla Soe received 250 million kyats from former regional government minister U Aung Than Oo in five installments in connection with the allocation of government land when he was in Chief Minister position, it is said that he abused his position and accepted a gift from U Aung Than Oo.
Similarly, when former minister U Aung Than Oo received 500 million kyats from a construction company owner in connection with land applications when he was in political office, and he accepted the gift in six installments at his home.
When former minister U Aung Than Oo was in political office, according to the decision of the regional government meeting, although he must open a savings account at the Myanmar Economic Bank for a total of over 950 million kyats from eight people who have permission to work on empty and waste land, three people who have the right to purchase government-owned land and a person who had the right to use another method for cooperate social responsibility (CSR) in accordance with the financial procedures of the regional development fund issued by the Union Government Organization Office's Notification No. 58/2019, the money was added to two accounts opened under his name at the Myanmar Apex Bank (MAB) and kept the checks which are not in accordance with the existing laws and regulations in handling and managing the public funds of the government organization, and which caused to lose the state funds, it said.
In addition, Yangon Region Government Secretary U Soe Soe Zaw, presented and handled the land allocation in connection with an application for land in the name of a retired person to the Region Government for a land area of more than 32 acres in Yangon's North Dagon Township during August 2021. The statement stated that the fact that he helped to reduce the value of the land and CSR payments, and agreed to take 20 percent of the profit from the sale of the land if the plot was granted, which abused his position by obtaining a gift.
Former Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein in NLD government era
According to the investigation, former Yangon Region Government Chief Minister U Hla Soe and former Minister of Economic Affairs U Aung Than Oo were charged under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law and the Secretary U Soe Soe Zaw was prosecuted under Section 55/63 and Section 56 of the Anti-Corruption Law and has now been sentenced to prison terms.
Those who served under the former NLD government are also being prosecuted for corruption for causing loss of state funds. In addition, for the first time, the above three individuals who served under the SAC have been prosecuted for corruption.
In taking action against former Yangon Region Chief Minister U Hla Soe, the loss of state funds was 38,000 million kyats (38 billion kyats) and a case of a bribery of 250 million kyats.
A total of 13 people served under the NLD government including former President U Win Myint, former State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and former Chief Ministers (excluding former Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein), were charged with corruption for losing 123.7 billion kyats, over US$ 4.6 million and Seven visses of gold and baht 300,000.
However, there are many projects that are famous for corruption in the activities of former Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, which have not yet been included in the list of actions taken by the SAC.
During the reign of former Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, who was famous for his loss of state funds and corruption, there were tens of thousands of complaints to the Anti-Corruption Commission regarding corruption-related issues related to the actions of the Yangon Region government. The connection with corruption can be from tens to hundreds of billions of kyats, and this amount is much more than the calculated value of the loss of national funds in the corruption cases of 13 other state and regional Chief Ministers, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Most of those who served under the NLD government have been sentenced to prison terms in cases of corruption, and among the cases where Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself was sentenced to prison for bribery is the case in which she accepted US$ 6 million and seven visses of gold given by U Phyo Min Thein.
During the NLD government's corruption charges, when former Tanintharyi Region Chief Minister Daw Le Le Maw was sentenced to prison, three people from the company involved in the case, including the former vice chairman of CB Bank, were also sentenced to prison terms.
Similarly, the former Shan State Chief Minister, Dr. Lin Htut, who served under the NLD government, was prosecuted for corruption and sentenced to prison due to the loss of funds in the Inlay Zone entrance fee tender. Officials of the company that won the zone entry fee tender were also prosecuted and sentenced to prison terms.
In the opening of a corruption case against former Union Ministers U Ohn Win and U Win Khaing, former Deputy Minister Dr. Tun Naing, former Managing Director of the No. (1) mining industry and former Managing Director of the electricity corporation for causing losses to the national budget in mineral tax and coal price determination of the Tikyit coal-fired power plant, U Chit Khaing, the owner of the Eden Company Group, which has the right to operate the Tikyit coal-fired power plant, and his son, who is the managing director of the company, have also been prosecuted.
"The corruption cases against Yangon Regional government cabinet members are more interesting. The SAC has taken action against many people who have been found guilty of corruption in Yangon regional government. The Chief Ministers in other states and regions are restrained. Some other government members have released it but not much in Yangon. As far as I know, there is only U Zaw Aye Maung who is the Deputy Minister and he was not sued. I heard that the rest of the cabinet members are more or less sued. The Yangon Region government is the most corrupt among regions and states. It is because U Phyo Min Thein himself testified that he gave gold and money to the State Counsellor. In order to make this more solid evidence, the government led by U Phyo Min Thein is corrupt, so it should be reported with more detail. I am not satisfied with that," U Kyaw Zeya, a former member of parliament, previously answered The Daily Eleven newspaper.
Due to U Phyo Min Thein's actions, the financial loss is far greater than the loss of the national treasury in the corruption cases against those who were in charge during the NLD government, and hundreds of thousands of times more than the loss of financial loss in the process of U Hla Soe being sentenced to prison.
It seems unfair to compare the cases of former Yangon Chief Minister U Hla Soe, who was sentenced to prison for bribery, and those who served under the previous NLD government being punished for corruption and the lack of action against U Phyo Min Thein, who is famous for corruption.
More than 90 percent of the actions taken by the Anti-Corruption Commission against those who served under the previous NLD government or those who served under the SAC are due to investigations rather than complaints, so the lack of action against U Phyo Min Thein, who is famous for corruption, has raised questions about the fact that the government officials investigated him for corruption but the issue of corruption does not arise or did not investigate him for corruption or investigated him for corruption but did not take action, etc.
It is a matter that is already known to many people, which also raises many questions about the anti-corruption commission's actions regarding U Phyo Min Thein's case that the state budget has been loss due to the actions of U Phyo Min Thein.
The Daily Eleven newspaper raised questions at a press conference held on June 12, 2021 as it has been reported that the action against some of the top government officials, including former State Counsellor, was sentenced under the anti-corruption law because of former Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein's statements, how will those who paid bribes be dealt with in this matter or will they be exempted without taking any action and the Deputy Minister for Information and leader of the information team of the SAC, Major General Zaw Min Tun, responded that no one is above the law and that the law must be followed.
Similarly, the Daily Eleven newspaper raised questions in related with the case of YP, which was carried out when U Phyo Min Thein was the Chief Minister of Yangon Region under the NLD government, U Phyo Min Thein, who is the most responsible policy maker, was not seen to be prosecuted when the ministers under him and employees were prosecuted. According to the estimation of state loss caused by U Phyo Min Thein, it could be thousands of billions of kyats, and the national damage due to the rest of the state and regional chief ministers is only about 100 billion kyats and whether it is politically motivated or not as he has not been taken action and whether the investigations will be notified to the public or not, at a press conference held on June 16, 2022, and Major General Zaw Min Tun replied that the government would make a fair decision based on the findings of the ACC.
