DBL v DBM

Q: Which legislation does [2024] SGCA 19 consider?

The judgment refers to Arbitration Act (Cap 10), Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act (Cap 30B), International Arbitration Act (Cap 143A), and International Arbitration Act (Cap 10), among other provisions. The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

[2024] SGCA 19 Court of Appeal 21 May 2024 CA/CA 27/2023 ( CA/SUM 1/2024 ) 22 min read

9 cases cited

Outcome

Appeal dismissed

We therefore dismissed the appeal, and fixed costs in favour of the respondent in the aggregate sum of $60,000. Sundaresh Menon Chief JusticeSteven Chong Justice of the Court of AppealJudith Prakash Senior JudgePrakash Pillai, Koh Junxiang and Wang Chunhua (Clasis LLC) for the appellant;Chan Cong Yen Lionel, Caleb Tan Jia Chween and Kirsten Siow (Oon & Bazul LLP) for the respondent.

Source: [2024] SGCA 19, Court of Appeal, decided 21 May 2024. Read directly from the judgment.

Key facts

Court	Court of Appeal
Decided	21 May 2024
Judges	Judith Prakash, Steven Chong, Sundaresh Menon
Charges / claim	Arbitration
Outcome	Appeal dismissed
Sentence / award	$60,000
Counsel	Clasis LLC, Oon & Bazul LLP, Caleb Tan Jia Chween, Chan Cong Yen Lionel, Kirsten Siow, Koh Junxiang, Prakash Pillai, Wang Chunhua

Source: [2024] SGCA 19, Court of Appeal, decided 21 May 2024 — eLitigation. Updated 25 June 2026.

Catchwords

Arbitration — Award — Recourse against award — Setting aside — Rules of natural justice

Practice Areas

Arbitration

Judges (3)

Judith Prakash Coram Steven Chong Coram Sundaresh Menon Delivered

Counsel (8)

Clasis LLC Firm Oon & Bazul LLP Firm Caleb Tan Jia Chween Counsel Respondent Chan Cong Yen Lionel Counsel Respondent Kirsten Siow Counsel Respondent Koh Junxiang Counsel Appellant Prakash Pillai Counsel Appellant Wang Chunhua Counsel Appellant

Parties (2)

DBL Appellant DBM Respondent

Case Significance

DBL v DBM [2024] SGCA 19 was decided by the Court of Appeal of Singapore on 21 May 2024 in Civil Appeal No 27 of 2023, with Sundaresh Menon CJ delivering the grounds of decision of the court, sitting with Steven Chong JCA and Judith Prakash SJ, after a hearing on 28 March 2024. The appeal was against the decision of the High Court judge in DBL v DBM [2023] SGHC 267, in which the appellant had unsuccessfully sought to set aside an arbitral award on the basis that it was tainted by a breach of natural justice. The appellant relied on two principal grounds: first, that the tribunal allowed a "Searoutes Demonstration" conducted by the respondent's counsel during oral closing submissions contrary to the agreed hearing protocol, and that the appellant was not afforded a reasonable and fair opportunity to respond; and second, that the tribunal failed altogether to consider two defences the appellant had raised. The Court of Appeal heard and dismissed the appeal.

[2024] SGCA 19 explained

DBL v DBM ([2024] SGCA 19) is a Singapore judgment decided by the Court of Appeal on 21 May 2024. It is categorised under Arbitration. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.

What is [2024] SGCA 19 about?

DBL v DBM ([2024] SGCA 19) is a Court of Appeal decision from 2024. Its published catchwords are “Arbitration — Award — Recourse against award — Setting aside — Rules of natural justice”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2024] SGCA 19 consider?

The judgment refers to Arbitration Act (Cap 10), Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act (Cap 30B), International Arbitration Act (Cap 143A), and International Arbitration Act (Cap 10), among other provisions. The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

What was DBL v DBM [2024] SGCA 19 about?

Decided on 21 May 2024 by the Court of Appeal, DBL v DBM was an appeal against the refusal to set aside an arbitral award for breach of natural justice. The appellant challenged a "Searoutes Demonstration" by the respondent's counsel and alleged two defences were not considered.

Which judges decided DBL v DBM [2024] SGCA 19?

The Court of Appeal comprised Sundaresh Menon CJ, Steven Chong JCA and Judith Prakash SJ. Sundaresh Menon CJ delivered the grounds of decision of the court, which dismissed the appeal from DBL v DBM [2023] SGHC 267 after a hearing on 28 March 2024.