On 16 November 2020, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department announced that former Malaysian federal court judge, Tan Sri Suriyadi Halim Omar, has been appointed Director of the Kuala Lumpur-based Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) effective 1 December 2020. The third former judge to take this office and the first in 13 years, Suriyadi will … Read more

This year marks the tenth edition of the Herbert Smith Freehills – SMU Asian Arbitration Lecture Series. We are delighted that Ms Loretta Malintoppi from 39 Essex Chambers will deliver the lecture on Thursday 22 October, on the topic “Don’t Shoot the Sheriff: The Threat of Legal Claims Against Arbitrators and Arbitral Institutions”. The Herbert Smith Freehills-SMU Asian Arbitration … Read more

In a recently surfaced judgment, the Malaysian High Court in Government of Malaysia v Nurhima Kiram Fornan & Ors (Originating Summons No. BKI-24NCvC-190/12-2019 (HC2)) for the first time granted an anti-arbitration injunction to restrain foreign arbitration proceedings on the basis of sovereign immunity. Read more

The Malaysian Federal Court has resolved the recent debate about whether courts should recognise and enforce whole arbitral awards under Malaysian law. The Court clarified that only the dispositive sections of arbitral awards will be enforced by Malaysian courts under Section 38 of the Malaysian Arbitration Act 2005 (AA). Parties seeking to enforce arbitral awards … Read more

The Malaysian High Court has set a useful precedent for arbitrator discretion when writing reasons in arbitration awards. In Allianz General Insurance Company Malaysia Berhad v Virginia Surety Company Labuan Branch, Originating Summons No. WA-24NCC(ARB)-13-03/2018, the Court dismissed an application to set aside a majority arbitration award under Section 37 of the Malaysian Arbitration Act … Read more

In the recent case of Balram Chainrai v Kushnir Family (Holdings) [2019] HKCFI 2866, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance (CFI) refused to set aside an ex parte order allowing service out of the jurisdiction on the basis that the defendant had submitted to the jurisdiction. Background to the dispute See our previous discussion … Read more

In Jaks Island Circle Sdn Bhd v Star Media Group Bhd and Another (Originating Summons No. WA-24C(ARB)-11-02/2018), the Malaysian High Court considered whether an inquiry of damages arising out of an undertaking by an applicant to pay damages for an injunction wrongly granted by a court in support of arbitration proceedings should await the outcome … Read more

This year marks the ninth edition of the Herbert Smith Freehills – SMU Asian Arbitration Lecture Series. We are delighted that The Honourable Justice Judith Prakash will deliver the lecture on Wednesday 2 October, on the topic “The Court’s role in arbitral proceedings: regulator or promoter?” The Herbert Smith Freehills-SMU Asian Arbitration Lecture Series was … Read more