Edric Chia

International Commercial Litigation

• Acted for a Chinese-owned entity to defend against a claim in respect of a guarantee provided as part of a series of complex transactions involving the sale of the largest irrigation property in Australia which engaged issues of contractual interpretation and misrepresentation in the High Court of Singapore.
• Acted for a law practice in a claim relating to payments made by the law practice out of amounts held under various escrow accounts in the High Court of Singapore, for a claim value of over S$2 million. The payments were held in respect of certain housing developments in a foreign country in a high-profile land-banking scam scheme.
• Acting for a Singapore entity linked to an established American jewellery retailer against one of India’s largest manufacturer and supplier of diamonds and jewellery in a multi-million cross claim amounting to over US$67 million involving breach of a joint venture agreement, fraudulent misuse, conspiracy, inducement of breaches and quantum meruit in the High Court of Singapore.
• Acting for a group of companies in a shareholder dispute regarding a business venture in the production of an agriculture product in a frontier market, involving claims in conspiracy, contractual breaches and misrepresentation. The matter was initially commenced in the High Court of Singapore where we successfully obtained a stay of proceedings in favour of arbitration.

International Commercial Arbitration

• Acted for a prominent Chinese multinational company in a complex international arbitration in SIAC, involving the fabrication and assembly of commercial automobiles in a large-scale infrastructure project in Thailand with around S$9 million in dispute. The matter spanned 3 concurrent arbitration proceedings at the SIAC with issues of interpretation of contractual provision, tax exemption issues arising from the operation of industrial free trade zones, and potential criminal proceedings arising from the disputes.
• Acted for a Thai company in relation to a dispute against a prominent Chinese multinational company over a large-scale energy project involving the manufacture, production and processing of solar components.
• Assisted a Chinese-owned entity in a complex international arbitration in an action concerning a shareholder dispute regarding a joint venture company in Singapore, which involved alleged beaches of a Shareholders’ Agreement, issue of minority oppression fees and complex financial expert opinions in determining the value of the company’s shares.

Private Wealth and Trust Disputes

• Assisted in a matter concerning the validity of a deed of family arrangement, which pertained to a draft will prepared for the patriarch of the family but which was never signed. The matter eventually proceeded to be considered before the Court of Appeal.
• Acted in a matter concerning the validity of a will contested on the basis that the testator lacked the requisite testamentary capacity to execute the will in question, specifically that the testator was burdened by the existence of prior overvalued ideas/delusions at the material time. (UWF and another v UWH and another – [2021] 4 SLR 314).

Risk Management and Advisory

• Advised a listed company in Japan in relation to a potential fictitious transaction entered into with a Singapore company, on the possible causes of actions which the company may pursue in Singapore to unwind the transaction or claim against the relevant third parties personally (such as conspiracy, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duties, dishonest assistance and knowing receipt).
• Acted for mortgagors in a matter seeking an inquiry on the reasonableness of costs, charges and expenses charged by a regional financial institution as the mortgagor and a refund of excess monies paid under protest by the mortgagors.