Mohammad Muzhaffar Bin Omar

Muzhaffar plays a key role as part of our Litigation, Arbitration and Investigation practice specialising in complex cross-border investigations and disputes, and compliance advisory.

Muzhaffar also demonstrates a special interest in handling regulatory and business sensitive investigations and crisis management, including in particular technically complex market misconduct allegations, effectively balancing client’s needs with regulatory requirements.

Having recently been seconded to an international technology conglomerate, Muzhaffar brings client-side knowledge and an understanding of client expectations to each case he handles. Muzhaffar also regularly assists clients with compliance advice, including anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and sanctions advice, transactional due diligence and post-transaction uplifts, and general compliance reviews.

Muzhaffar also has experience in acting in Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and ICC International Court of Arbitration (ICC) arbitrations across the Asia Pacific region, navigating clients through the often challenging disputes process.

Work highlights

Investigations

• Advising a multinational bank on multiple internal investigations into whistleblower complaints received by the bank against traders in relation to alleged collusion with external parties and market misconduct including allegations of spoofing, market manipulation and front-running. 
• Assisting a multinational bank on a long-running investigation into numerous whistle-blower allegations of market misconduct, including market manipulation and front-running, by members of an equities trading team in Asia.
• Assisting a multinational bank on an investigation into any misuse or disclosure of MNPI in relation to specific block trades, arising out of enquiries from an Asian regulator. 
• Assisting a multinational bank on a review of potential sponsor liability arising from the public collapse of a listed security on an Asian market. 
• Assisting a professional services firm on an investigation, into alleged widespread use of technological tools to cheat on assessments, including advising on dealings with US regulators.
• Assisting a professional services firm on an investigation into alleged deliberate concealment of information in the context of the client’s internal clearance process in Malaysia.
• Assisting a professional services firm on an investigation into potential financial manipulation and other serious allegations by regional senior leadership.

Crisis Management

• Assisting a global professional services firm in relation to crisis management and a subsequent internal investigation relating to serious misconduct in one APAC jurisdiction that had global implications. 
• Assisting an insurer in ongoing crisis management and dispute resolution arising out of its arrangements with a local distributor in an Asian market arising out of a potentially unauthorised and illegal distribution scheme. 
• Assisting a local Asian bank in crisis management and dispute resolution arising out of changes in local laws affecting a distribution agreement with a global insurer.

Work highlights continued

Investigations

• Assisting a leading regional bank with an international benchmarking review initiated by Singapore regulators of practices and procedures in relation to the listing of securities in the Singapore market.
• Assisting a professional services firm on an investigation into an anonymous whistleblower complaint in relation to serious physical misconduct alleged to have taken place over 20 years ago.
• Assisting an infrastructure fund on an investigation into alleged deliberate concealment of information in the context of an acquisition of an energy asset in the Philippines, and subsequent consequence management with the transaction counterparty. 
• Conducting ABC / AML / Sanctions due diligence on, amongst others, a regional payments company, a regional semiconductor and related equipment importer and service provider, a global inspection, testing and certification business, a regional solar energy platform, and a Southeast Asian aesthetics service provider.

Litigation

• Advising J Trust Co Ltd on court proceedings in Singapore (and Mauritius, Japan, the Netherlands and New York) involving claims amounting to approximately US$185.5m.
• Assisting a bank in its recovery of over US$100m in assets, stored in a complex corporate structure across multiple jurisdictions, arising from a fraudulent transaction.
• Assisting a financing company in multiple cross-border litigation against an Asian ListCo arising out of fraudulent investments, and subsequent asset recovery of over US$200m in assets, stored in a complex corporate structure across multiple jurisdictions.
• Assisting a multinational bank in cross-border recovery proceedings of over US$100m against a network of ship-owning companies following significant cross-default of financing agreements.

• Advising a state-owned entity against an Indonesian/Middle East managed fund in an SIAC administered dispute in excess of US$110m over palm oil plantation investments in Indonesia.
• Advising an Indonesian state-owned entity as off-taker in an ICC administered dispute in excess of US$25m brought by the transporter under a gas transportation agreement. 
• Representing a main contractor against its EPC subcontractor in an SIAC administered dispute in excess of SGD 120m arising from the construction of a power plant
• Representing a main contractor against its subcontractor in an ICC administered dispute in excess of SGD 25m over defective delivery of stone and tiles.
• Advising a mining equipment supplier on a potential arbitration with an Indian energy company arising out of the supply of several million US$ worth of mining and transportation equipment to the world’s largest integrated power generation and coal mining project. 
• Representing a specialist sub-contractor in resisting call on performance bond and on commencing SIAC arbitration against main-contractor, on dispute arising from foreign oil drilling contract. 
• Representing a private equity fund against a consultant in an SIAC administered dispute in excess of AUD 12m.

Muzhaffar holds an LLB from the Singapore Management University. Muzhaffar also topped the Singapore Bar Examinations (Part B) in 2016, achieving 4 distinctions and two best-in-subject awards.