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Khin Nyunt, September 2004

Khin Nyunt's trial was shrouded in secrecy

Burma's ousted Prime Minister Khin Nyunt has received a 44-year suspended jail sentence by a special tribunal in the capital Rangoon, legal sources say.

They say he was convicted on eight charges, including corruption and bribery, after the closed-door trial.

Khin Nyunt - who also headed the military intelligence - was ousted last October after apparently losing a power struggle within the ruling military.

It is believed he will be kept under house arrest.

Khin Nyunt's two sons were also found guilty, the sources say, but it is not clear what sentences they received.

Thirty-eight intelligence officers linked to Khin Nyunt have been given prison sentences of 20 to more than 100 years.

	KHIN NYUNT Former number three in junta hierarchy Appointed prime minister in 2003, in perceived demotion Sponsored "roadmap" for democracy and possible release of Aung San Suu Kyi But power struggle with senior leader Than Shwe saw Khin Nyunt ousted in 2004

Correspondents say Khin Nyunt was dismissed because his position as head of military intelligence brought him into disagreement with Burma's senior leader, Gen Than Shwe, who now controls the army.

Khin Nyunt also favoured a more liberal approach to dealing with Burma's (Myanmar's) pro-democracy movement led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

Burma's junta originally announced that Khin Nyunt was retiring for health reasons, but later brought the criminal charges.