Fariz Abdul Aziz Partner

Contact
T +603 2081 3999 ext 906
E fariz.aziz@skrine.com
 

Overview


Fariz is a corporate transactional partner, focusing on domestic and cross border mergers & acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures, privatisations, foreign investment, private equity investments and advisory services. Key industries which Fariz is active in include oil & gas, petrochemicals, power, shipping and insurance.
 
He regularly represents leading foreign multinationals on their inward bound transactions, divestments as well as domestic operations. Fariz also advises Malaysian entities on their outward investment.

Fariz previously served as a Facilitator for the Prime Minister’s Department’s Performance Management & Delivery Unit’s (PEMANDU) Corridors & Cities Lab, covering the Manufacturing and Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Entry Point Projects in the East Coast Economic Region.

 

Key Practice Areas

  • Oil & Gas, and Energy
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Maritime and Shipping Advisory
  • Projects Infrastructure
 

  • Acted for Murphy Oil Corporation on Malaysian law aspects of the sale of its Malaysian E&P business comprising participating interest in 7 production sharing contracts to PTT Exploration and Production Public Company (PTTEP) and country exit with a transaction value of USD2.13 billion.

  • Acted for Halliburton on its sale of interest in Halliburton Bayan Petroleum Sdn Bhd to Dialog Group Berhad. 

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel for OMV Aktiengesellschaft (“OMV”) on Malaysian law aspects of OMV’s strategic joint-venture partnership with Sapura Energy Berhad which involves OMV acquiring a 50% share of Sapura’s exploration and production business in a transaction with  a reported value of up to USD975 million.

  • Acted as lead counsel for Halliburton in the partial disposal of its interest in Halliburton Bayan Petroleum Sdn Bhd, an independent technical services contractor to DIalog Group Berhad.

  • Acted for 5 bidders in connection with their bids under the Energy Commission Malaysia’s Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Plant Program Phase 3.

  • Advised BP on its entry into a long term storage agreement with Dialog Terminals Sdn Bhd and Pengerang Terminals (Five) Sdn Bhd,

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel in for Santos in connection with the disposal its south east Asian assets to London-listed Ophir Energy

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel for Carlyle International Energy Fund in connection with its acquisition of an interest in Compañía Española de Petróleos, S.A.U (CEPSA), a Spanish integrated oil & gas company wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company PJSC. 

  • Acted as lead counsel for Reach Energy Berhad on its USD154.9 million acquisition of a 60% indirect interest in five subsoil assets in Kazakhstan.

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel for PTT plc, the national oil company of Thailand on the Malaysian law aspects of its acquisition of a 10 percent stake in liquefaction plant MLNG Train 9.

  • Advised numerous international oil & gas E&P companies on matters relating to PSC/JOA negotiations, farm-ins, government liaison, procurement, sole risk projects and other matters relating to their domestic operations.

  • Advised various international trading corporations on trading petroleum products and various other commodities in Malaysia.

  • Advised the Energy Commission on the establishment of the end-user electricity tariff stabilisation fund.

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel for Murphy Oil Corporation in respect of the sale of 30% of its oil & gas assets in Malaysia to PT Pertamina in a deal valued at USD2 billion.

  • Advised Halliburton on its joint venture with Dialog Group Berhad and subsequent entry by the joint venture entity into an oilfield services agreement with PETRONAS Carigali, valued at USD1.2 billion in order to enhance the oil recovery at the Bayan Field, offshore of Malaysia.

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel for Newfield Exploration Company in respect of its disposal of its oil & gas assets in Malaysia to SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad for USD896 million.

  • Advised GE Oil and Gas in respect of its joint venture with SapuraKencana (now known as Sapura Energy) for the establishment of SapuraKencana GE Oil & Gas Services Sdn Bhd for the provision of after-sale services of rotating oil and gas equipment that GE’s Oil and Gas business division has sold or will sell to its customers.

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  • Acted for BP plc, on Malaysian aspects of its USD5 billion sale of its global aromatics, acetyls and related businesses to INEOS

  • Acted as lead counsel for HK-listed Hope Education Group in respect of its acquisition of Inti Education Holdings from NASDAQ-listed Laureate Education, Inc for a purchase price of USD 140 million. Inti Holdings (through its subsidiaries) owns and operates amongst others, INTI International University, INTI International College Penang, INTI College Sabah, INTI College Nilai, INTI International College Subang and INTI International College Kuala Lumpur.

  • Acted as lead counsel for Zurich General Takaful Malaysia’s acquisition of the entire general takaful business of HSBC Amanah Takaful (Malaysia) Berhad.

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel for Constantia Flexibles, on the sale of its global labels division to Multi-Color Corporation for an enterprise value of approximately €1.15 billion (USD1.3 billion).

  • Advised Permodalan Nasional Berhad, the Malaysian government’s investment vehicle in connection with its acquisition of the SILK Highway.

  • Acted as Malaysian counsel for Essentra Plc in respect of the acquisition of the entire assets and liabilities of Abric Berhad, a leading global manufacturer of security seals.

  • Acted for Ekuiti Nasional Berhad, a government linked private equity firm on the sale of its strategic stake in Tranglo, a licensed cross border payment platform provider to TNG Fintech.

  • Acted as lead counsel for Ekuiti Nasional Berhad, a government linked private equity firm in its acquisition of a 70% stake in Flexi Versa Group Sdn Bhd for an enterprise value of RM330 million.

  • Acted as lead counsel for Ekuiti Nasional Berhad, a government linked private equity firm in its acquisition of the Davex Group, a luminaire designer, consultancy and manufacturer with operations in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

  • Acted for Ekuiti Nasional Berhad, a government linked private equity firm in its acquisition of a strategic stake in Al-Ikhsan Sports, a multi-brand sports apparel retailer.

  • Advised Syarikat Takaful Malaysia on all aspects of its restructuring of its composite takaful business into distinct operating entities for family and general takaful respectively.

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  • Advised HESS Exploration and Production Malaysia on its sale and bareboat charter-back arrangement with MISC Berhad in respect of the floating, storage and offloading facility (FSO) known as FSO Mekar Bergading which resulted in MISC acquiring ownership of the FSO from HESS in a deal with a reported contract value of USD441 million (RM1.78 billion).
  • Advised on the sale of five offshore support vessels from a foreign shipyard to a domestic oil and gas service provider.
  • Advised on the establishment, operating structure, flagging, licensing and operational structure for FPSO leasing into Malaysia via Labuan.

  • Advised Elpis Sp. z o.o. in its development of an oxy-alkylates production facility in Kertih.
  • Advised Versalis, a subsidiary of ENI, which entered into a joint-venture with a PETRONAS subsidiary, the Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Corporation, for the development of an Elastomer Plant within the proposed Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) complex in Pengerang, Johor. Under the agreement the JV company will use Versalis’ technology licence and technical know-how to produce and market synthetic rubbers from four separate elastomer plants, it proposes to build within RAPID.
  • Advised Itochu Corporation, in a joint-venture with a PETRONAS subsidiary, for the development of petrochemical plant within the proposed RAPID complex in Pengerang, Johor.

Qualifications:
  • Advocate and Solicitor, High Court of Malaya (2008)
  • Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn) (2007)
  • LL.B (Hons), King’s College London (2006) 
Professional Affiliations:
  • Member, Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn
  • Member, Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN)
  • Adjunct Lecturer for Universiti Teknologi Petronas

Authored the following articles:
  • Panellist and Presenter on Financing, Contracting and Best Practice Approaches to Decommissioning Planning” at SPE’s Virtual Symposium: Decommissioning and Abandonment, 1st December 2021
  • Co-Author, Malaysian Chapter of the Energy Regulation and Markets Review (8th Edition) (2020)
  • Author, Malaysian Chapter of The Oil & Gas Review (4th Edition) (2016)
  • Co-Author, Malaysian Chapter of The Mergers & Acquisitions Review 2014 (8th Edition)
  • Author, Malaysian Chapter of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Oil & Gas Regulation 2014 (9th Edition)

  • Ranked Band 2 in Projects, Infrastructure & Energy, and Band 4 in Corporate M&A by Chambers Asia Pacific 2022.
  • Named as the “Lawyer of the Year: Malaysia (Client Service Award) at the asialaw Awards 2020.
  • Listed as “Up and Coming” in Projects, Infrastructure & Energy by Chambers Asia Pacific 2020 - 2021.
  • Listed as a "Leading Individual" by The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2020 & 2021 in Corporate and M&A, and Projects and Energy.
  • Recognised by the International Financial Law Review 1000 (IFLR 1000) as a “Notable Practitioner” for M&A in Malaysia in 2019 – 2020.
  • Very well known for his oil and gas work – Who’s Who Legal 2021 (Energy-South East Asia)
  • "The efficient, well-organised and very proactive, Fariz Abdul Aziz knows the Malaysian upstream sector very well" - Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2019.
  • He has particular expertise in oil and gas development and M&A work. We highly regard him and view him as the lawyer of choice in the oil and gas space in Malaysia.” – IFLR 1000 2019.
  • Extensive contacts and up to date knowledge of the oil and gas industry in Malaysia” and that “He is always available to attend to queries”.- asialaw Profiles 2018.