YANGON-Taninthayi Region Chief Minister Dr Le Le Maw is being filed under four separate lawsuits under the Anti-Corruption Law 55, says Police Lt-Col Sein Win from Tanintharyi Region Police Office.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is now charging Dr Le Le Maw, Managing Director Thein Htwe, Directors Aung Myat and Thura Ohn from Global Grand Services (GGS) for graft and other related crimes.
GGS’s Director Aung Myat was remanded in custody at Dawei Prison yesterday morning.
“Four lawsuits are being filed against Taninthayi Chief Minister. GGS’s Managing Director Thein Htwe and Director Aung Myat are involved in two cases while Thura Ohn is being charged with one case. Each case is being filed separately. The investigator from the ACC formally filed the complaints against them[CM and GGS’s officials] at the Dawei Police Station in the evening of March 10th,” said Police Lt-Col Sein Win.
At present, Thein Htwe and Thura Ohn are detained in Yankin and Tamwe Townships’ Police Stations while Director Aung Myat was arrested in Dawei Township Police Station since the evening of March 10th.
Taninthayi Chief Minister Dr Le Le Maw was detained in Kawtthaung Police Station at night of March 10th. On the following day, she was sent to Dawei Township via Kawtthaung by aircraft.
Dr Le Le Maw arrived in Dawei yesterday evening and she went to Regional Police Station’s Office under police escort.
When detained, Taninthayi Region Chief Minister passed through in front of Dawei Airport, prompting locals to beat their iron buckets and shame her by shouting at her the word “thief”. Many of them also waited for her at the Dawei court.
The police carried out tight security measures at the Dawei Airport and Dawei Township Court. No media was allowed at the Dawei Airport.
The GGS Company’s Director Aung Myat was in Dawei prison on remand for two weeks since yesterday morning.
“ We asked for remand because the Taninthayi Region Government Committee and GGS Company broke the contract for power distribution. They had failed to pay over Ks 8 billion for natural gas. So, the regional government owed the cash to the Ministry of Electricity and Energy on behalf of them. It was found that regional government lost a lot of budgets. Due to the facts, we asked for remand. Yesterday morning Aung Myat was remanded and Dr Le Le Maw was also remanded in the evening. The first remand was March 11th to 25th. We took the remand aiming to investigate the remaining process,” said Judge Kyaw Myint from Dawei Township Court.
The President Office announced yesterday evening that Taninthayi Region Chief Minister Dr Le Le has been dismissed from her position.
Regional Security and Border Affairs Minister Col. Kyaw Zeya has been temporarily assigned as the Taninthayi Region Chief Minister.
ACC’s Spokesperson Kyaw Soe said that it was too early to conclusively say that Dr Le Le Maw’s properties will be seized as over 90 people, including business partners, are still being investigated.
“We can’t say exactly because the section 20 (A) of Anti-Corruption law described that the findings and investigations must be kept a secret. We are going to carry out our duties in accord with the code and conduct of Anti-Corruption Commission. There is no biased investigation,” said Kyaw Soe.
He added that separate investigations were carried out in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Dawei and that there were over 90 witnesses. Some witnesses were business persons.
The ACC announced that Taninthayi region Chief Minister Dr Le Le Maw was taken action with Section 55 of Anti-Corruption Law while three officials from GGS Company were taken actions with Sections 55/63 of Anti-Corruption Law and other crimes with other indictments for 4 separate cases.
