An Australian business executive previously serving as executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Myanmar was released from detention after more than 100 days, according to Myanmar legal authorities. Ye Khaung Kyaw, also known as Danny, was freed on Wednesday following a Yangon court ruling, although details of the court’s decision remain unclear.

A legal official familiar with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Kyaw’s release but did not specify whether the charges against him were dismissed, withdrawn, or if he faced a conviction or deportation. The Home Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson, Acting Police Brig Gen Soe Lin Aung, confirmed that court proceedings concluded on Tuesday but declined to offer further information.

Kyaw was arrested in June alongside former AmCham president Adam Castillo, a US businessman who was released and deported last week without explanation. Both men, along with former board member Munimul Islam, have been accused by the chamber’s current board of breach of trust and misappropriation of association assets in connection with a $300,000 contract involving Mercury Public Affairs, a Washington-based lobbying firm. Islam, who resides outside Myanmar, has not been detained.

Supporters of the accused have dismissed the allegations as unfounded, citing documentation they say contradicts the charges. The police complaint reportedly does not detail Kyaw’s specific role in the alleged misconduct during his time as AmCham executive director.

Central to the dispute is the establishment of the US-Burma Economic Forum by Castillo during his presidency from 2023 to 2025 and a subsequent lobbying contract with Mercury Public Affairs signed in 2024. AmCham’s annual report released in May accused Castillo of improperly raising funds under the association’s name without board approval, receipt of payment, service delivery, or disclosure to auditors.

However, documents obtained by reporters include a signed board resolution approving the lobbying initiative, authorizing the hiring of Mercury, and agreeing to sponsorship by Islam’s company, Misfit Technologies. Current AmCham executive director Myat Phyu The has described this resolution as fabricated, though other records published on the chamber’s website suggest the board may have been aware of the arrangement.

The case has highlighted internal divisions within AmCham Myanmar amid ongoing concerns about governance and financial transparency following recent political and economic turmoil in the country.