Former Myanmar American Chamber of Commerce board member detained in Spain

BARCELONA, Spain -- 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.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. government. “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 c...