An Australian businessperson who served as executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Myanmar was released from jail after more than 100 days of detention on financial misappropriation allegations, a Myanmar legal official said.
Ye Khaung Kyaw, also known as Danny, was freed on Wednesday following a ruling by a court in Yangon, according to a legal official familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to release information.
Ye Khaung Kyaw and the two other men charged in connection with the case have said the allegations against them are groundless.
Acting Police Brig Gen Soe Lin Aung, a spokesperson for Myanmar’s Home Affairs Ministry, confirmed that the court concluded proceedings in Kyaw’s case on Tuesday but declined to provide further details.
It remains unclear whether he was convicted, had the charges dismissed or withdrawn, or was ordered to be deported.
Kyaw was detained in June around the same time as former chamber president Adam Castillo, a US businessperson who was released last week and deported without explanation.
The chamber’s current board accused Kyaw, Castillo and former board member Munimul Islam of breach of trust and misappropriation of association assets in connection with a US$300,000 contract with the Washington-based lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs.
Islam lives outside Myanmar and has not been detained.
Supporters of the three men said the allegations were baseless and contradicted by documentary evidence. The police complaint did not specify Kyaw’s exact role in the alleged misconduct during his tenure as executive director.
AmCham’s complaint centred on Castillo’s creation of the US-Burma Economic Forum as a lobbying organisation during his presidency from 2023 to 2025 and a contract signed with Mercury in 2024.
In its annual report issued in May, AmCham accused Castillo of improperly collecting funds using the association’s name.
It said the board had not approved the agreement, received any money or services, or disclosed the matter to auditors.
However, AmCham documents obtained appear to contradict the annual report.
A signed board resolution showed the board approved the lobbying initiative, authorised hiring Mercury, and agreed that Islam’s company, Misfit Technologies, would provide sponsorship.
Current AmCham executive director Myat Phyu The called the resolution a fabrication, although other records on the chamber’s website indicated that the board was aware of the arrangement. — AP
