Lawyer’s Profile:

Teck Huat has extensive litigation experience and has appeared before the Courts at all levels in Malaysia as well as in Singapore.

Teck Huat represents a large number of insurance companies, shipping companies, press and media corporations, banks and financial institutions in complex claims and disputes in a wide range of fields including insurance, shipping, banking, corporate and commercial, insolvency and construction matters.

He advises and represents the biggest media organization in Malaysia in defamation matters and appears as its Counsel on a regular basis in trials and appeals.

He was admitted to the Brunei High Court on an ad hoc basis as leading Counsel for a trial in a defamation action in which he successfully argued the extended parameters of the defence of qualified privilege as expounded by the House of Lords in Reynolds v Times Newspaper [1999] 3 WLR 1010.   He has also appeared as Counsel in complex defamation actions in Singapore up to the Court of Appeal.

In the field of insurance, re-insurance and shipping, he advises and represents various insurance companies and other corporations in large and complex matters.  He also provides advisory and consultancy services in such matters.  Teck Huat has a number of cases reported in the law reports.

His practice involved litigation work from the outset.  He commenced practice with Niru & Co in March 1989 dealing essentially, in maritime/admiralty and insurance litigation.

In 1991, when Niru & Co merged with Harry Elias & Partners, he became a partner of that firm.  There, Teck Huat’s practice extended to include defamation and intellectual property litigation, apart from his original forte of maritime/shipping and insurance and re-insurance litigation.

In 1993, with the de-merger of the firms, Teck Huat recommenced practice as a partner in the re-constituted firm of Niru & Co. and continued with his extensive practice in insurance & shipping litigation work, whilst continuing to develop defamation and intellectual property litigation.

In October 2001, Teck Huat returned to Malaysia to further his legal practice.  He joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co. and established its insurance, reinsurance and shipping practice group, which he led until he left Zaid Ibrahim & Co. in June 2004 to start T H Liew & Partners which subsequently became Suflan T H Liew & Partners, with the addition of an eminent Counsel, the late Shamsuflan Shamsuddin to the Team.

Significant Matters:

List of Reported Cases

1. The ‘Asian Plutus’; ‘Asian Plutus’, Owners of Cargo Laden on Board v ‘Asian Plutus’, Owners of & Other Interested Persons – [1990] 2 MLJ 449
2. Lim & Sons (Pte) Ltd v Owners of and Other Person interested in the Ship or Vessel ‘Trade Fair’ – [1994] 1 SLR 704
3. United Overseas Bank Ltd v Mohamed Arif – [1994] 2 SLR 296
4. Owners of the Ship or Vessel ‘Trade Fair’ v Lim & Sons (Pte) Ltd; ‘The Trade Fair’ – [1994] 3 SLR 827
5. Uni-France Offshore Engineering Pte Ltd v Owners of and/or Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel ‘Cotan Challenger’; ‘The Cotan Challenger’ – [1996] 1 SLR 297
6. Marina Centre Holdings Pte Ltd v Pars Carpet Gallery Pte Ltd – [1997] 3 SLR 625
7. The Lotus M – [1997] 2 SLR 570
8. Universal Westech (S) Pte Ltd v Ng Thiam Kiat & Ors – [1997] 2 SLR 139
9. Penguin Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd v Titan Logistics (S) Pte Ltd (Pioneer Offshore Enterprises Pte Ltd, third party) – [1997] 2 SLR 126
10. Pars Carpet Gallery Pte Ltd v Marina Centre Holdings Pte Ltd – [1997] 2 SLR 486
11. Ng Thiam Kiat & Ors v Universal Westech (S) Pte Ltd and another appeal – [1997] 3 SLR 419
12. Ang Kim Soon v Sunray Marine Pte Ltd – [1997] 3 SLR 619
13. Damayanti Kantilal Doshi & Anor v Shobhana J Doshi – [1998] 1 SLR 530
14. The Botic – [1999] 4 SLR 749
15. Win Line (UK) Ltd v Masterpart (Singapore) Pte Ltd & Anor – [2000] 2 SLR 98
16. Overseas Union Insurance Ltd v Turegum Insurance Co – [2001] 3 SLR 330
17. Overseas Union Insurance Ltd v Home and Overseas Insurance Co Ltd – [2002] 4 SLR 104
18. Overseas Union Insurance Ltd v Home & Overseas Insurance Co Ltd and another application – [2002] 2 SLR 497
19. A Kanesananthan v Singapore Ceylon Tamils’ Association [2003] SGHC 93 – [2003] 3 SLR 539
20. The “Hyundai Fortune”[2004] 4 SLR(R) 548; [2004] SGCA 41
21. Ang Kuang Hoe v Chia Chor Yew [2004] 1 SLR 696
22. Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd v AMI Insurance Bhd & Ors – [2005] 2 MLJ 123
23. The “Inai Selasih” (ex “Geopoted X”) [2005] 4 SLR 1
24. The “Inai Selasih” (ex “Geopotes X”) (Appeal) [2006] 2 SLR 181
25. Centaurus Enterprise (S) Pte Ltd v Foong Yew Eong Christopher and Others [2008] SGHC 195
26. Ferco Seating Systems (M) Sdn Bhd v The Product People Pty Ltd – [2009] 6 MLJ 874
27. Sarawak Shell Bhd v The Owners or other persons interested in The Ship or Vessel ‘The Red Gold’ and another action – [2011] 1 MLJ 239
28. The Owners or Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel ‘the Red Gold’ v Sarawak Shell Bhd and another Appeal – [2012] 4 MLJ 729
29. AM Assurance Bhd v AXA Affin Assurance Bhd – [2012] 5 MLJ 137
30. Sabah Shell Petroleum Co Ltd & Anor v The Owners of and/or Any Other Persons Interested in the Ship or Vessel the ‘Borcos Takdir’ – [2012] 5 MLJ 515
31. Seri Mukali Sdn Bhd v Kertih Port Sdn Bhd – [2012] 7 MLJ 437
32. Tekital Sdn Bhd v Sarina bt Kamaludin & Ors – [2012] 8 MLJ 734
33. Ahmad Zukni Johari v Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Bhd (TV3) & Another – [2012] 6 CLJ 851
34. Newfield Peninsula Malaysia Inc v The Owners Of The Ship Or Vessel “Tanjung Pinang 1” [2012] 1 LNS 1084
35. Admal Sdn Bhd v The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad & Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad [2013] 1 LNS 276
36. Perusaphaan Sinar Jaya Sdn Bhd v Etiqa Insurance Bhd [2013] 8 MLJ 317
37. Dato’ Seri Mohammad Nizar Bin Jamaluddin v Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad & Another [2013] 7 CLJ 483
38. Datuk Husam Musa v The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd & Ors [2013] 1 LNS 798
39. Crowe Horwath v Suruhanjaya Sekuriti [2014] 1 LNS 804
40. Best Venue Sdn Bhd v Allianz General Insurance Company (M) Bhd [2015] 4 CLJ 219
41. Zaina Salleh Abdul Rahman v The New Straits Time (M’sia) Berhad [2015] 1 LNS 834
42. Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Sdn Bhd & Others v Nurullah Zawawi & Anor [2015] 9 CLJ 357
43. Allianz General insurance Company (M) Berhad & Others v Kapar Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd [2016] 1 LNS 1784
44. AmGeneral Insurance Bhd v Iskandar bin Mohd Nuli [2016] 1 MLJ 818
45. Allianz General Insurance Malaysia Berhad v Maxi Development Sdn Bhd & Ors [2017] 1 LNS 806
46. Iskandar bin Mohd Nuli v AmGeneral Insurance Bhd (Previously known as AmG Insurance Bhd) [2017] 5 MLJ 25
47. Integrated Marine Works Sdn Bhd v Petronas Penapisan (Melaka) Sdn Bhd [2018] 1 LNS 381
48. Prai Power Sdn Bhd v GE Energy Parts Inc & Others [2018] 1 LNS 404
49. Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Berhad v Chubb Insurance Malaysia Berhad (Formerly Known as Ace Jerneh Insurance Berhad) [2018] 1 LNS 825
50. Goh Bee Lan v Yap Soon Guan and another [2018] SGHC 11
51. Jhaveri Darsan Jitendra and others v Salgaocar Anil Vassudeva and others [2018] 5 SLR 689
52. Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Singapore and another v Am General Insurance Bhd (formerly known as Kurnia Insurans (Malaysia) Bhd) (Liew Voon Fah, third party) [2018] 4 SLR 882
53. Lakshmi Anil Salgaocar v Hadley James Chilton and others [2018] 5 SLR 725
54. Lakshmi Anil Salgaocar v Jhaveri Darsan Jitendra and another [2018] SGHC 90
55. Sabyasachi Mukherjee and another v Pradeepto Kumar Biswas and another suit [2018] SGHC 271
56. Athanasius Allapan Anthong v Myteksi Sdn Bhd [2019] 2 LNS 2203
57. Lakshmi Anil Salgaocar v Jhaveri Darsan Jitendra [2019] 2 SLR 372
58. Allianz General Insurance Company (Malaysia) Bhd v Virginia Surety Company Labuan Branch [2020] 5 CLJ 345
59. Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Singapore v AmGeneral Insurance Bhd [2020] 3 CLJ 581
60. Raja Syahrir bin Abu Bakar & Anor v Manjeet Singh Dhillon and other appeals [2020] 3 MLJ 482
61. Shankar’s Emporium Pte Ltd and others v Jethanand Harkishindas Bhojwani and another [2020] SGHC 244
62. 3 Corporate Services Pte Ltd v Grabtaxi Holdings Pte Ltd [2020] 4 SLR 941
63. Jethanand Harkishindas Bhojwani v Lakshmi Prataprai Bhojwani (alias Mrs Lakshmi Jethanand Bhojwani) [2021] 3 SLR 1055
64. Rahman Mohammad Jillour v Paretam Singh s/o Kishen Singh (alias Pritam Singh Gill) [2021] SGHC 30
65. The Jeil Crystal [2021] SGHC 292

Accolades/Awards:

Memberships/Appointments:

He was a teaching member of the Singapore Law Society Advocacy Committee from 1996 to 1999.  He was also tutor in law in the Faculty of Engineering of the National University of Singapore.

Speaking Engagements/Articles written:

Apart from his extensive litigation practice, Teck Huat also conducts regular conferences and seminars, including presenting a paper on Maritime Arbitration at a seminar organised by the Regional Centre for Arbitration, Kuala Lumpur.

Teck Huat has also been invited to speak on various topics on insurance, reinsurance, shipping and defamation issues to various participants in the industry.

Year called to bar, University:

Teck Huat was called to the Singapore Bar in 1989.  He graduated from the National University of Singapore.

Languages spoken other than English:

• Malay
• Mandarin
• Cantonese
• Hakka