BELLWORTH DEVELOPMENTS SDN BHD v SETIAKON BUILDERS SDN BHD

w-02ca-1212-07-2024 Court of Appeal (Mahkamah Rayuan) 14 June 2026 • W-02(C)(A)-1212-07/2024 • 60 min read

31 cases cited (5 SG, 26 foreign)

Catchwords

The Court of Appeal reaffirmed the principle of minimal judicial intervention in arbitration. A procedural breach, such as an alleged one-day delay in submitting a draft award for AIAC technical review, does not automatically invalidate an arbitral award where the requirement is merely directory, no timely objection was raised, and no prejudice is shown. An arbitral award will not be set aside on the basis of a purported “new difference” where the issue was within the parties’ pleadings, evidence and submissions. Courts will not review the merits of an award under the guise of a setting-aside application.

Judges (3)

Latifah binti Haji Mohd Tahar Coram Lim Chong Fong Delivered Shahnaz binti Sulaiman Coram

Parties (2)

BELLWORTH DEVELOPMENTS Sdn Bhd Appellant SETIAKON BUILDERS Sdn Bhd Respondent

Statutes Cited

Arbitration Act 1996

s 33(1)

Arbitration Act 2005 (Cap 646)

English Arbitration Act 1996

s 68(2)

Interpretation Act

s 17A

Cases Cited (31)

SLR (5)

[2007] 1 SLR(R) 597 [2021] 2 SLR 1279 [2021] 2 SLR 235 [2022] 2 SLR 23 [2022] 2 SLR 557

UK (7)

[1937] AC 473 [1942] AC 130 [1966] 1 QB 273 [1978] AC 297 [1979] 2 All ER 22 [2005] UKHL 43 [2018] EWHC 1284

MY (18)

[1965] 1 MLJ 228 [1988] 2 MLJ 360 [1988] 2 MLJ 481 [1995] 3 AMR 2871 [1995] 3 MLJ 331 [1995] 4 CLJ 283 [1999] 2 CLJ 788 [2007] 3 CLJ 185 [2007] 4 MLJ 113 [2009] 4 MLRH 171 [2010] 5 CLJ 83 [2013] 2 CLJ 395 [2019] 2 MLJ 413 [2019] 6 CLJ 588 [2020] 5 MLJ 417 [2020] 8 CLJ 267 [2020] MLJU 331 [2022] 4 CLJ 657

IN (1)

(1995) 1 SCC 133

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Malaysia Courts portal.

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Source: eJudgment (w-02ca-1212-07-2024)