Fraud, Asset Recovery and Investigations

• Acting for a cryptocurrency exchange in fraud, asset recovery and investigations efforts, which involve, inter alia, recovery of stolen crypto assets amounting to approximately US$4.2 million. An employee of the cryptocurrency exchange’s payroll service provider wrongfully caused cryptocurrency to be transferred into wallets controlled/held by her. See ByBit Fintech Ltd v Ho Kai Xin and others [2023] SGHC 199 where the General Division of the High Court found for the first time that crypto assets are property capable of being held on trust.

• Acting for an individual residing in the United States in fraud, asset recovery and investigations efforts. The said individual had been deceived by fraudsters to trade cryptocurrencies on a fake cryptocurrency platform, and transferred approximately to US$8 million to the fraudsters. The matter involves working with counsel from Hong Kong, Vietnam and the United States, and is still ongoing.

• Acting for the co-beneficiary of a reputable tech-entrepreneur’s estate worth more than S$800 million, in obtaining an interim and prohibitory injunction in the Singapore Court against, among others, the other co-beneficiaries of the estate. The co-beneficiary’s case is that she had been cheated of her rightful inheritance in the deceased estate. The matter involves working with Estonian counsel. See Kristin Annus v Jekaterina Annus & 2 others [2023] SGHC 110.
• Assisted Counsel in successfully obtaining an interim prohibitory injunction in the High Court to restrain various individuals from diluting and selling public traded shares. See Chen Mingxin and others v Zhang Jian and others [2021] SGHC 03.

Civil and commercial disputes

• Acting for a Singapore company and its directors in defending a claim brought by a former director for diminution in share value due to alleged breaches of sale and purchase agreements. See 3N Investments Group Ltd & another v Lim Boon Chye Victor & 2 others [2023] SGHC 76.

• Acting for a reputable local travel agency and its representatives in defending two actions brought by a local religious organisation. See Travel 360 Pte Ltd v Shalom Israel (Asia-Pacific) Ltd and another appeal [2022] SGDC 262.

• Acting for a reputable German vacuum cleaner manufacturer and its Taiwanese distributor, in a claim for defamation and conspiracy against its competitor and its directors.

• Instructed and lead counsel for an application for permission to appeal against the lower court’s decision for a dispute concerning sale of luxury watches. See both Hon G v Tan Pei Li [2023] SGHC 193 and Hon G v Tan Pei Li [2023] SGMC 21.

• Acted for the Defendant in a defamation claim brought by a social media influencer. See Wong Leng Si Rachel v Wu Su Han Olivia [2022] SGHC 151.

• Assisted Counsel in defending a High Court claim (and subsequently, in resisting the appeal before the Appellate Division of the Singapore High Court) brought by a former director for alleged referral and consultancy fees against a leading engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning company in the oil & gas, power, and renewables industry. See both Elias Xanthopoulos v Rotating Offshore Solutions Pte Ltd & 2 others [2021] SGHC 197 and Elias Xanthopoulos v Rotating Offshore Solutions Pte Ltd & 2 others [2022] SGHC(A) 17.

• Assisted Counsel in a marine cargo insurance claim against a reputable international insurer for the full insured value of cargoes (which had been stolen) under a marine cargo insurance policy. See both Sizer Metals Pte Ltd v Chubb Insurance Singapore Ltd [2022] SGHC 51 and Chubb Insurance Singapore Ltd v Sizer Metals Pte Ltd [2023] SGHC(A) 17.

Arbitration

• Assisted Counsel in acting for the respondent company in an appeal against a High Court judge’s decision (See CBP v CBS [2020] SGHC 23) to set aside an arbitral award on grounds of breach of natural justice. The appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. See CBS v CBP [2021] SGCA 04.

• Assisted Counsel in acting for the claimant in a charter party dispute between a Singaporean company and a Bruneian company in the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

• Assisted Counsel in acting for the claimant in a contractual dispute between a construction company and a mechanical & electrical engineering company in the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

• Assisted Counsel in defending a claim brought by an SGX-listed company against an individual for alleged misrepresentation in the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.
• Assisted Counsel in a construction dispute between two local construction companies in the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.

Insolvency & Restructuring

• Acted for a Chinese oil trading company qua non-party creditor, in an application by an international food and agriculture company for a moratorium under the IRDA.

• Acted for a non-party creditor of a cryptocurrency exchange which has gone into interim judicial management. See Re Hodlnaut [2022] SGHC 209.

• Acted for the Hong Kong Trustees-in-Bankruptcy in an application for recognition of a Hong Kong bankruptcy order in the Singapore Court.

• Assisted Counsel in acting for a creditor of a Singaporean water treatment company which was under judicial management.

• Assisted Counsel in acting for liquidators of a local construction company in “clawback” claims against its ex-directors.
• Assisted Counsel in advising liquidators of a Singapore based subsidiary of a Thai hotel developer.

Criminal Defence (White Collar)

• Acting for an accused person who was charged for failing to discharge his duties as director honestly and with reasonable diligence, and for engaging in a conspiracy to dishonestly receiving stolen properties.

• Acted for accused persons charged for giving misleading statements under Section 28 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.