**The court presiding over the trial of Burma’s detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will deliver its verdict on Friday, an official has told reporters.**Ms Suu Kyi faces five years in jail if she is convicted of violating the terms of her house arrest by letting a US man stay in her home uninvited.
The trial had initially been expected to last a few days, but has now dragged on for more than two months.
Despite widespread calls for her release, a guilty verdict is expected.
Locked away
Before the start of Tuesday’s session, defence lawyer Nyan Win said he held out hope for a verdict in Ms Suu Kyi’s favour.
"We are confident that we will win the case if things go according to the law, he told reporters.
But analysts say the Burmese junta may use this trial to make sure the pro-democracy leader is still in detention during elections planned by the military government for early next year.
Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won the last elections in 1988 but was never allowed to take power.
The 64-year-old has spent nearly 14 of the last 20 years in detention, much of it at her Rangoon home.
On Monday international human rights group Amnesty International named her as an “Ambassador of Conscience” - its highest honour - for her efforts to promote democracy.