Abdul Jabbar Bin Karam Din Equity Partner Practice Area: Banking & Finance Practice Employment & Executive Compensation Practice Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Private Client Practice     LLB (Hons),National University of Singapore Diploma in Islamic Banking & Finance, International Islamic University Malaysia Advocate & Solicitor, Singapore   T (65) 62320465 E abdul.jabbar@rajahtann.com Email  |  Print  |  vCard

Jabbar specializes in banking, finance, general commercial law, employment law and mergers and acquisitions work. He is also the company secretary to several listed companies as well as numerous private companies. 

Jabbar started his career as an associate with Allen & Gledhill in 1995.  In 1999, he moved to Rajah & Tann LLP as a senior associate and was made a partner the following year.

Notable Cases & Transactions

A. Banking

• Acting as Singapore counsel to Silver Lake in the US$1.9 billion financing of its acquisition of Skype from eBay.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to China Investment Corporation in its US$1.9 billion loan facility to PT Bumi Resources Tbk to finance Bumi’s existing indebtedness.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to Credit Suisse, Singapore Branch in connection with various loan facilities to the Bumi group amounting to approximately US$866 million.
• Acting for Credit Suisse, Singapore Branch in connection (i) a US$450 million loan facility to EMP Holdings Singapore Pte Ltd and PT Energi Mega Persada Tbk and (ii) the subsequent restructuring of such loan facilities.
• Advising Chip Eng Seng Corporation Ltd and its wholly-owned subsidiary, CEL Development Pte. Ltd. in a S$60 million loan facility from Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to a Saudi company and a Middle-East based bank in their proposed joint venture to carry out Islamic financing services in Singapore. 
• Acting as Singapore counsel to Tamilnadu Petroproducts Limited in its proposed joint venture with Kuwait Finance House and the Singapore Economic Development Board to set up a normal-paraffin petrochemical plant on Jurong Island.

B. Finance

• Acting as Singapore counsel to First Ship Lease Trust in its proposed issue of US$200 million fixed rate notes.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to ING Bank in the exchange offer and consent solicitation relating to the US$238 million guaranteed senior secured notes due 2011 issued by PT Davomas Abadi Tbk
• Acting as Singapore counsel to PT Davomas Abadi Tbk in the issue and sale of US$238 million guaranteed senior secured notes due 2011 (issued in 3 separate tranches).
• Acting as Singapore counsel to Merril Lynch in an Indonesian cross-border securitisation with a US$600 million Series-1 future flow securitisation for PT Bumi Resources mining units, PT Kaltim Prima Coal and PT Arutmin Indonesia.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to Credit Suisse as arranger in an Indonesian cross-border securitisation with a US$800 million Series-1 future flow securitisation for PT Bumi Resources mining units, PT Kaltim Prima Coal and PT Arutmin Indonesia.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to Titan Petrochemicals Group Limited, a Hong Kong listed company in its offer and issue of US$400 million 8.50% Guaranteed Senior Notes due 2012.
• Acting as transaction counsel to a Singapore branch of a Japanese bank in connection with the setting up of their Singapore securitisation conduit, applying to the Monetary Authority of Singapore for ‘Approved Special Purpose Vehicle’ status for the Singapore conduit and advising the said bank in the securitisation of equipment lease and hire purchase receivables generated by a Singapore originator, which involves the sale of receivables by the originator to a trust on a true sale basis.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to Merrill Lynch as arranger in a structured financing transaction for Rizal Risjad involving the grant of a senior loan facility of US$39.5 million to PT Berau Coal, and the issue of up to US$239.5 million mezzanine notes. The transaction was for the purposes of financing the acquisition of PT Armadian Tritunggal, which owned a 90% stake in PT Berau Coal, one of Indonesia's largest thermal coal producers.
• Acting as counsel to Chip Eng Seng Corporation Limited (“CES”) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, CEL Development Pte Ltd (‘CEL’) in connection with CEL's S$150,000,000 Multicurrency Medium Term Note Programme, guaranteed by CES.

C. Mergers and Acquisitions

• Acting as Singapore counsel to Rio Tinto Alcan Inc. in relation to its global sale of its packaging business.
• Acting as Singapore counsel to CVC Capital Partners in relation to the proposed global acquisition of the iShares business from Barclays Capital for £3 billion.
• Advising the major shareholders of Chip Eng Seng Corporation Limited in the sale of 106,152,500 shares to Citadel Equity Fund, Ltd representing approximately 15% of the issued share capital of the company. 
• Acting for Edipresse Media in its acquisition of Appedite Media, a Singapore lifestyle publisher which prints the magazines Appetite, Luxury and Grandeura, and in its acquisition of Solitaire Media, a lifestyle publisher which prints the magazines Solitaire, Solitaire China and Brilliant Jewellers. 
• Advising Chip Eng Seng Corporation Limited in various property development joint ventures involving its subsidiary CEL Development Pte Ltd with Lehman Brothers Real Estate Partners II and Citadel Equity Fund, Ltd. 
• Assisted Johnson & Johnson in connection with its global acquisition of Pfizer’s Consumer Health Business for a sum of US$16.6 billion. 
• Acting for Starhub Pte Ltd in its merger with Singapore Cable Vision Pte Ltd.

D. General corporate advisory

• Advising on corporate governance, employment and immigration matters which includes (i) drafting and reviewing employment contracts, employment handbooks, compliance handbooks for local companies and multi-national corporations, (ii) advising on termination of employees, wrongful or unfair dismissal, restraint of trade, solicitation clauses, retrenchment benefits claims, negotiations with trade unions, s18A transfers under the Employment Act, transfers of employees between legal entities in connection with divestments of businesses; and (iii) advising on employment passes and permanent residency status.
• Advising on general corporate matters such as capital reductions, amalgamations and financial assistance under the Singapore Companies Act.
• Advising on the establishment of business entities in Singapore, conversion of partnerships and companies into limited liability partnerships, drafting of corporate secretarial documentation.
• Reviewing of a wide variety of general corporate agreements such as distribution agreements, collaboration agreements, supply agreements, tenancy agreements and licence agreements.

Memberships / Directorships

• Member, Singapore Academy of Law
• Member, Law Society of Singapore
• Director, R&T Corporate Services Pte Ltd