Ms Melanie Ho > WongPartnership LLP > Singapore, Singapore > Lawyer Profile

WongPartnership LLP Offices

WongPartnership LLP
12 MARINA BOULEVARD, LEVEL 28
MARINA BAY FINANCIAL CENTRE TOWER 3
SINGAPORE 018982
Singapore
Visit website 65 6416 8000 65 6532 5711

Ms Melanie Ho

Melanie Ho photo
+65 6416 8127 melanie.ho@wongpartnership.com View profile

Work Department

Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group; International Arbitration Practice; Professional Services Practice; Specialist & Private Client Disputes Practice; White Collar & Enforcement Practise

Position

Deputy Head – Specialist & Private Client Disputes Practice;
Partner – International Arbitration Practice.

 

 

Career

Experienced in medical law, defamation law, employment and commercial contracts and management corporation disputes. Her criminal litigation practice covers global corporate investigations, white collar and technology offences. Her clients are public-listed and multinational companies and organisations, including major players in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, individual plaintiffs and defendants, as well as statutory boards.

Work Highlights

Matters of significance in which Melanie has been involved in include acting for the following:

  • An oil and gas company in a transboundary dispute involving concurrent court proceedings in Singapore and arbitration in the UK. This was a contractual dispute involving an oil cargo with a market value of over US$30 million. The other party claimed a sum of over US$1.5 million in respect of the cargo.
  • The SMC in disciplinary proceedings against a well-known Singaporean oncologist for medical negligence; the SMC in the prosecution of a prominent surgeon in Singapore, both at the High Court and on appeal to the Court of Three Judges. The Ministry of Health had referred a complaint of overcharging and false representation to the SMC for the services the surgeon and other doctors provided to a patient. The surgeon was suspended from practice for three years, fined S$10,000 and was censured.
  • A Central Narcotics Bureau senior officer on all corruption charges brought against him for allegedly accepting sexual favours in exchange for furthering the business interests of two IT companies. A full acquittal on all charges was obtained.
  • Singapore Land Authority in its internal investigations and legal proceedings against 18 defendants in possibly the largest public sector fraud case in Singapore’s history since 1995, with the claim amounting to over S$12.18 million.
  • The Plaintiff alleged that thousands of investors were defrauded into investing more than C$175 million (around S$183 million) in crude oil produced in Canada. The complexity of the dispute required investigations into Canadian entities, expert evidence on cross-border money flows and security arrangements, and the involvement of Canadian Receivers. In addition, each of the 1,102 investor’s claims were unique, and involved reviewing thousands of investment and security documents. The claims by the 1,102 investors totalled more than S$90 million were dismissed entirely with costs to be paid to the defendants.

Awards & Accolades

Melanie is lauded as one of the key players for investigations work by the Global Investigations Review 100, a guide to the world’s top 100 leading firms for corporate investigations. She is a recommended lawyer for Dispute Resolution in The Legal 500: Asia Pacific – The Client’s Guide to the Asia Pacific Legal Profession 2015; a highly regarded legal practitioner in the area of life sciences, having been selected by her peers in Best Lawyers 2017 and 2018 for her work in Litigation and Medical Malpractice Litigation. She is also recognised as a leading lawyer in Who’s Who Legal’s The International Who’s Who of Life Sciences Lawyers 2017 for Product Liability.

Publications

Languages

English, Mandarin.

Memberships

Member, Law Society of Singapore; Singapore Association of Women Lawyers; Association of Criminal Lawyers Singapore; Board Member, Appeals Board of the Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).

Education

Admitted, 1997, Singapore Bar; National University of Singapore (LL.B., Hons.).

Lawyer Rankings

Singapore > White-collar crime - Local firms

WongPartnership LLP’s team excels in corporate and regulatory investigations and compliance matters. As such, the practice regularly undertakes advisory work for government-led investigations, in addition to large internal investigations for private entities including banks, financial institutions and individuals. The team has a wide offering across all aspects of defence counsel and covers cases involving corporate and market misconduct and financial services regulation, as well as a range of data privacy, crypto, anti-bribery, enforcement, and anti-corruption services. The team is notably multidisciplinary and regularly undertakes multi-jurisdictional and cross-border mandates, drawing on relevant expertise though the firm’s wider network. Jenny Tsin is noted for her expertise in employee-related matters, while Joy Tan handles contentious investigations, regulatory issues and disputes. Tan Chee Meng SC, a former CAD prosecutor, is a key player in the firm’s enforcement and investigations cases, while Melanie Ho has experience in global investigations and technology offences,.

Singapore > Dispute resolution: local firms

WongPartnership LLP‘s domestic and global reputation brings it a wealth of cases, including disputes that have no direct connection to Singapore. The firm continues to expand its caseload, including additional crypto-related disputes, insolvency cases and arbitration-related court proceedings, especially challenges to arbitral awards. The Singapore team has close connections to government-linked businesses, local and international banks, and numerous multinationals. Koh Swee Yen SC wins many accolades in arbitration-related court proceedings and other headline Singapore cases, having been elevated to senior counsel status in 2022 and gaining a prolific record in major disputes. Tan Chee Meng SC is a notable figure in white-collar crime and regulatory matters. Chou Sean Yu leads the litigation and dispute resolution group, and has a fine record in banking and finance disputes. Wendy Lin is another senior figure with leading expertise in asset recovery, fraud and other headline cases, while Melanie Ho heads the professional and enterprise disputes team.

Comparative Guides

Singapore: Life Sciences March 2024 This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Life Sciences laws and regulations applicable in Singapore.

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