Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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KUALA LUMPUR (May 21): Senior lawyer Khoo Guan Huat, a partner in law firm Messrs Skrine, has been appointed as one of the conciliators and arbitrators of the International Centre for Settlement and Investment Disputes (ICSID), an agency placed under the World Bank.

Khoo's appointment, representing Malaysia, is for a period of six years beginning May 12 until 2027.

theedgemarkets.com sighted Khoo's appointment letter with ICSID.

ICSID is based in Washington DC, United States, and is the world’s leading institution devoted to international investment dispute settlement. It is said to have extensive experience in this matter having administered the majority of all international investment cases where countries have agreed on ICSID as a forum for investor-state dispute settlement.

This involves international investment treaties and numerous investment laws and contracts.

Prior appointees included senior lawyers Tan Sri Cecil Abraham, Datuk Azmi Mohd Ali, retired Federal Court judge Datuk Azmel Maamor, and former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Steve Shim.

The terms of all four ended last December.

Khoo had worked with the Attorney-General's Chambers since 1987, before joining Skrine as a partner in 1993.

He has been frequently called upon to act as senior counsel both in the litigation and arbitration space in commercial and civil disputes, and has acted as lead counsel for the Johor and Kelantan state governments in several proceedings against them.

Khoo also advises both financial and non-financial institutions on regulatory and compliance matters.

He is an adjunct faculty member of The ICLIF Executive Education Centre (part of Asia School of Business — in collaboration with MIT Sloan Management) and regularly speaks on its behalf on corporate liability and corporate governance matters.

He was a member of the Malaysian delegation to the Arbitration Working Group at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). The Arbitration Working Group’s efforts resulted in the revised UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules being published in 2010.

The senior lawyer has represented various multinationals in various civil and patent disputes, and also appeared for major highway concessionaire in dispute with the RFID device, and had acted for a former chief justice during the 2008 Royal Commission of Inquiry of a person resembling a senior lawyer said to be brokering in the appointment of senior judges.

Edited ByLam Jian Wyn
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