Former Myanmar American Chamber of Commerce board member detained in Spain

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A former board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar has been detained in Spain on charges of financial impropriety that he and others maintain were fabricated by the current board. Munimul Islam, the CEO of Misfit Technologies, was taken into custody upon his arrival at Barcelona’s international airport Tuesday to begin a holiday with his wife, according to his attorney Cristián Carci. His detention is the latest in a monthslong case brought by the AmCham Myanmar against him, former board president Adam Castillo, an American, and former executive director Ye Khaung “Danny” Kyaw, an Australian, and aggressively pursued by Myanmar authorities.

Documents contradict evidence behind allegations He is accused by AmCham Myanmar of misappropriation of funds in the hiring of a Washington-based public relations firm to assist in lobbying efforts. Documents show, however, that the approximately $300,000 was paid by his company directly to Mercury Public Affairs and declared as required by the U.S. “This is a fabricated case,” Islam, a Bangladesh national, told The Associated Press in a short voice note after his detention.

“We have all the evidence, the press has all the evidence, the Myanmar court has been given all the evidence.” Islam was picked up on an Interpol “Red Notice” that had been requested by Myanmar authorities seeking his arrest on allegations of misappropriation of funds. Myat Phyu The, the current executive director of AmCham Myanmar, said the organization had not been apprised of Islam’s detention. “Decisions concerning charges, detention, bail, or ultimately guilt are matters for the relevant authorities and courts — not AmCham Myanmar,” she said in an email.

Complaint centers on Washington lobbying effort AmCham’s complaint centers on Castillo’s creation of the U.S.-Burma Economic Forum as a lobbying organization for the chamber he served as president from 2023 to 2025, and the 2024 contract Castillo signed with Mercury. In its official complaint, AmCham Myanmar said Castillo “illegally collected” the $300,000, using the association’s name and that he “did not deposit these funds into the association’s bank accounts.” In its annual report in May, the chamber said the board never approved the agreement, “made no payments, and received no services,” but other AmCham documents seem to contradict tha…