Eugene Thuraisingam LLP

FIRM NAME: Eugene Thuraisingam LLP

Website: https://thuraisingam.com/

Tel: +65 6557 2436

Fax: +65 6557 2437

Managing Partner: Suang Wijaya

Number of partners: 4

Number of lawyers: 8

Languages: Bahasa Indonesia, Cantonese, English, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish, and Urdu

International Offices: Bangkok, Thailand

Eugene Thuraisingam LLP is a unique disputes practice in Singapore. Founded in 2012 by a former partner from Allen & Gledhill, the firm staked an early claim in the independent disputes space and has established a forte in disputes involving both commercial and criminal issues.

The firm has a track record of success in high-value commercial disputes, including against major institutions. Notably, it litigated the landmark case of Ramesh s/o Krishnan v AXA Life Insurance Singapore Pte Ltd, successfully suing the insurer on behalf of a former financial services director who alleged that his former company sabotage his career by giving a false employment reference. This case made the law in Singapore that when preparing performance reviews, employers must ensure that any facts stated are true and that any opinions expressed are supported by true facts.

The firm is also regularly instructed in corporate disputes in high-value companies (including the famous Gokul Vegetarian Restaurant and a major Vietnamese pharmaceutical company), matrimonial disputes between prominent individuals, and cross-border insolvency and civil recovery proceedings involving assets in excess of USD 100 million, where the Firm acted for a foreign trustee in bankruptcy and persuaded the Singapore High Court, in the first known case of its kind, to recognise a Japanese bankruptcy order and vest dissipated assets in Singapore in the foreign trustee.

Unlike any other firm in Singapore, it is also a household name for criminal disputes (including cross-border criminal disputes). It has:-

(a) obtained landmark judgments, including the Court of Appeal’s decision (for the first time in Singapore’s legal history) to review its own concluded decision convicting an accused person, and eventually reversing its own decision in September 2020: see Ilechukwu Uchechukwu Chukwudi v Public Prosecutor [2020] SGCA 90

(b) secured high-profile acquittals at trial (viz., Public Prosecutor v Yeo Sow Nam, where it achieved the rare feat of causing the prosecution to abandon its case mid-trial)

(c) secured acquittals on appeal, including successfully persuading the Court of Appeal to acquit a medical practitioner who was accused of rape and outrage of modesty by his patient: see Public Prosecutor v Wee Teong Boo [2020] SGCA 56;

(d) acting in high-profile cases, such as for one of the accused persons involved in Singapore's largest money laundering case where a total of SGD 3 billion in assets were seized (viz, Public Prosecutor v Zhang Ruijin), as well as in extradition proceedings of an individual accused by the US of having intentionally created a botnet to infect over 19 million IP addresses to enable the loss of more than USD 5.9 billion dollars (viz, Wang Yunhe); and

(d) successfully persuading the Prosecution to amicably resolve numerous matters through carefully crafted representations

The firm also has a burgeoning employment practice with senior executives seeking representation in contentious issues with current and former employers from seasoned litigators who are experienced in acting against institutions.

The firm is also adept at handling both domestic and international arbitrations and is familiar with the major arbitral institutions. The firm can act independently or alongside our regional affiliates, especially where the dispute is complex and multi-jurisdictional. The firm is also able to coordinate a strong global strategy where the dispute engages multiple stakeholders with varying interests from different jurisdictions. The firm is well-placed to advice on multi-jurisdictional disputes due to our extensive network regionally and internationally. The firm’s robust track record, both in and out of Court, is evidence of their deep knowledge of commercial realities and their familiarity with the business environment in which their clients operate.

The firm is also regularly instructed to act and advise in regulatory investigations, white-collar crime and for professionals being investigated or disciplined by the Law Society of Singapore, Singapore Medical Council, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

In 2022, the firm opened an office in Bangkok to serve its international arbitration and white-collar crime clients in the region.

■ Criminal Litigation

■ Commercial Arbitration

■ Commercial Litigation

■ Corporate & Commercial