Myanmar’s finance minister resigns amid probe

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar (AA) – Myanmar’s finance minister has resigned, the government announced Saturday, after reports surfaced weeks ago that he was under investigation for alleged corruption.

Kyaw Win was allowed to resign from his position, said a statement from the Myanmar President Office published in a state-run newspaper, without giving a reason.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) launched an investigation into allegations that Win and his son had misused power.

ACC spokesperson U Han Nyunt told Anadolu Agency that it is nearly completed.

“It is too early to disclose our findings,” he said.

Win could not be reached for comment.

It would be the first corruption investigation involving a high-level government official since State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi took power in March 2016.

Last month, the ACC filed a corruption case against the director-general of the Food and Drug Administration, which is under the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Over a half-century of military rule has left Myanmar mired in poverty and plagued by corruption.

Myanmar under the Suu Kyi-led government had made small gains in annual corruption indexes by several watchdog organizations. But the country continued to languish in the bottom tier of the latest Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International released last year.