Mr Niv Chiw Poh Lee > Albar & Partners > Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia > Lawyer Profile

Mr Niv Chiw Poh Lee

+603 7890 3288 (Ext 238) nivlee@albar.com.my View profile

Work Department

Banking & Finance, Islamic Finance and Capital Markets.

Position

Partner

Niv is an experienced practitioner in the areas of banking & finance, Islamic finance and debt capital markets. He has acted for domestic and international financial institutions, multinational companies and conglomerates in various corporate banking, Islamic finance and debt capital market transactions including syndicated & club-lending transactions, project financing, asset financing and share financing. In the area of debt capital markets, he has advised on the issuance of corporate bonds, Sukuk, asset-backed securities, subordinated debt instruments, perpetual securities and quasi-equity instruments.

Career

Niv graduated with a Bachelor of Law (Hons) from Multimedia University, Malaysia. He was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 2011. Niv commenced legal practice at Albar & Partners and was admitted as a Partner in 2018. 

Niv has been involved in the following notable transactions:

• Advised UMW Holdings Berhad as the issuer in the establishment of a perpetual Islamic notes programme of RM2 billion in nominal value based on Shariah principle of Musharakah. The deal won Musharakah Deal of the Year (IFN Law Awards 2018).
• Advised the principal adviser and lead arranger in respect of the issuance of subordinated Islamic perpetual notes pursuant to a Sukuk Musharakah Programme of RM2 billion in nominal value under the Shariah principle of Musharakah by DRB-Hicom Berhad. The deal won Islamic Finance Deal of the Year at the Asian Lawyer Emerging Markets Awards 2015 and Asian-MENA Counsel Deal of the Year 2015.
• Advised the coordinating bank, the joint principal advisers and joint lead arrangers, the mandated lead arrangers and the syndicated lenders in respect of the multi-currency project financing (comprising syndicated US Dollars term loans, syndicated Malaysian Ringgit term loans and Malaysian Ringgit Islamic medium terms notes) of up to RM 8.2 billion undertaken by Tanjung Bin Energy Issuer Berhad, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malakoff Corporation Berhad, to finance the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the 1,000 MW coal-fired electricity generating facilities located at Tanjung Bin, Daerah Pontian, Johor. The deal won Asia Pacific Project bond of the Year at the Thomson-Reuters PFI Awards 2012 and Project Finance Deal of the Year at the IFLR Asia Awards 2013.
• Advised the principal adviser and lead arranger in the RM6.5 billion corporate reorganisation exercise to restructure Malakoff Corporation Berhad group’s debt instruments into Shariah-compliant instruments involving a series of complex and intricate transactions under various Shariah principles including Murabahah, Bai al-Dayn bi al-Sila, Kafalah, Mudharabah and Tawarruq. The deal was recognised as Asian-Mena Counsel Deal of the Year 2013.
• Advised the joint principal advisers and joint lead arrangers in respect of the issuance of unrated subordinated Islamic perpetual notes pursuant to a Sukuk Musharakah Programme of up to RM700 million in nominal value under the Shariah principle of Musharakah by S P Setia Berhad. The deal won Musharakah and Perpetual Deal of the Year (IFN Law Awards 2013).

Languages

Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin Chinese.

Memberships

Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya and member of the Malaysian Bar.

Education

LL.B (Hons), Multimedia University, Malaysia.
Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.