Print Profile

Ankit R. Sanghvi

Partner

Ankit R. Sanghvi is a partner of Halim Hong & Quek and leads the Construction Practice Group.  He has over 15 years of experience in advising developers, contractors, investors and corporates in high value, complex and often contentious matters. He is trusted by clients for his ability to combine deep technical mastery of construction and land law with a commercially grounded, solutions driven approach.

Ankit is regularly engaged at critical stages of projects and disputes – where risk exposure, regulatory scrutiny and commercial outcomes intersect.  He provides strategic judgment, decisiveness and calm handling of pressure sensitive matters.  He acts as both lead advocate and as a long-term legal partner to clients navigating sophisticated construction, property and regulatory challenges.

ankit.sanghvi@hhq.com.my

Key Practice Areas

  • Construction
  • Land & Real Estate
  • ESG & Regulatory Compliance

Key Expertise

  • Over 15 years’ experience in construction, land and real estate disputes across all levels of the Malaysian courts and arbitral forums.
  • Has an MSc in Construction Law & Dispute Resolution (King’s College London) which has provided him with international and comparative perspectives.
  • Certified adjudicator with the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC).
  • Frequently engaged by developers and corporates facing parallel civil, regulatory and enforcement exposure.
  • Provides commercially pragmatic advice that aligns legal strategy with project and business realities.
  • Strong track record in urgent and high-risk applications, including injunctions and performance bond disputes.

Work Highlights

  • Acted as lead counsel for developers, main contractors and subcontractors in high-value construction disputes involving delays, extensions of time, liquidated and ascertained damages, variation claims, defective works, termination for default, and performance bond calls.
  • Regularly conducts complex, document-heavy construction disputes spanning the full project lifecycle from procurement disputes, architect’s instructions to defect rectification regimes, certification disputes and final account claims.
  • Represented parties in arbitrations, adjudications (CIPAA) and court proceedings arising from mixed-use developments, luxury hotels, serviced apartments, high-rise residential projects, commercial buildings and infrastructure works.
  • Successfully obtained and resisted urgent interim relief, including Mareva, prohibitory and mandatory injunctions, to restrain performance bond calls, preserve retention monies, protect cashflow and prevent dissipation of assets.
  • Advised and represented stakeholders in large-scale infrastructure and energy projects, including solar power developments, providing strategic advice on construction risk, regulatory exposure and dispute avoidance.
  • Frequently engaged in high-pressure, time-sensitive matters where commercial leverage, project continuity and reputational risk are critical.
  • Acted for property developers, landowners and investors in complex land and real estate disputes involving joint ventures, land development agreements, sale and purchase agreements and investment structures.
  • Regularly represents clients in caveat removal proceedings, land related injunctions and urgent proprietary disputes under the National Land Code, safeguarding land rights and commercial interests.
  • Successfully advised and represented developers in purchaser-initiated claims, defect disputes and statutory proceedings under housing legislation, including judicial review proceedings to quash tribunal awards.
  • Experienced in disputes arising from adjoining land issues, construction impact claims and landowner grievances linked to development activities.
  • Advises and represents corporates, directors and senior management in investigations and prosecutions under the Environmental Quality Act, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act, Anti Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act, and capital markets legislation.
  • Regularly engaged from the earliest stages of investigation by enforcement authorities, managing regulatory exposure, dawn raids, document production and interviews through to prosecution and trial.
  • Provides robust, strategic defences in parallel civil, regulatory and quasi criminal proceedings, while preserving business continuity and managing reputational risk.
  • Acts for construction and property sector clients facing regulatory exposure arising from project execution, environmental compliance, procurement practices and corporate governance issues.

Industry Focus

  • Construction & Infrastructure
  • Real Estate & Property Development

Thought Leadership & Contributions

Ankit is a regular speaker and trainer for property developers, contractors and industry stakeholders on construction law, dispute trends and regulatory risk. He is frequently invited to share practical insights on adjudication, arbitration, risk allocation and compliance issues affecting the construction and real estate sectors. His thought leadership reflects a strong focus on translating legal principles into commercially workable strategies for clients.

Publications/Talks

  • Liquidated Damages Clauses in Contracts (April 2019)
  • The Law on Liquidated Damages Clause : Crystal Clear or Murky Waters? (September 2019)
  • No Longer Retrospective: The Construction Industry Payment and Adjudication Act 2012 (November 2019)
  • Time to Build “TRUST”: Adequate Procedures against S.17A, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (February & March 2020)
  • Covid-19 and Its Effect on Contractual Obligations in the Construction Industry (March 2020)
  • Understanding the Malaysian Movement Control Order (March 2020)
  • Direct Payment from Principal under CIPAA – what happens if the losing party in the adjudication is wound up? (August 2020)
  • The Repeal of Section 42 of the Arbitration Act 2005 (Malaysia): Buttressing the Principles of Finality of Arbitral Awards and the Minimum Intervention of Courts or Curtailing the Supervisory Jurisdiction of the Courts (September 2021)
  • Exclusion of Liability Clauses in Malaysia – Enforceable or Not? (November 2021)
  • Risk Management and Risk Allocation in Construction Contracts – is there a perfect formula? (August 2022)

Notable Highlights

  • Recognised by The Legal 500 as a leading lawyer in construction and real estate matters, co-leading Halim Hong & Quek’s real estate and construction practice with a reputation for “meticulous, industry-savvy advice”.
  • Regularly entrusted with major construction and infrastructure disputes, including energy, engineering and large-scale development projects, acting for developers, corporates and government-linked entities from project inception through dispute resolution.
  • Lead counsel in numerous reported Malaysian decisions involving construction contracts, land disputes, adjudication (CIPAA), arbitration and judicial review, contributing to the development of construction and real estate jurisprudence.

Reported Decisions

  • Bintai Gemilang Petroleum Engineering Sdn Bhd v Magnalogic Sdn Bhd [2025] MLJU 694
  • Obata-Ambak Holdings Sdn Bhd v Prema Bonanza Sdn Bhd and other appeals [2024] 5 MLJ 897
  • China Construction Yangtze River (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd v Multibay Development Sdn Bhd & Anor [2023] MLJU 2195
  • China Construction Yangtze River (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd v Multibay Development Sdn Bhd & Anor [2023] MLJU 1845
  • Orion Tower Sdn Bhd v Shanghai City Sdn Bhd [2023] 8 MLJ 345
  • Orion Tower Sdn Bhd v Shanghai City Sdn Bhd [2022] MLJU 2387
  • IB Builders Pvt Ltd v. DSS Capital Pvt Ltd & Anor [2022] MLJU 2685
  • Sureendran Subramaniam & Anor v. Lush Development Pvt Ltd & Anor [2022] MLJU 1453
  • Low Koh Hwa v. Spastic Children’s Association Selangor & Federal Territory [2021] 10 MLJ 262
  • Eco Green City Pvt Ltd v. Tribunal for Home Buyers’ Claims & Anor [2020] MLJU 1670
  • Sundra Rajoo Nadarajah v. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia & Anor [2020] 10 MLJ 583
  • Sundra Rajoo Nadarajah v. Attorney General [2020] 3 MLJ 788
  • Eddy bin Salim & Others v. Iskandar Regional Development Authority & Others (Node Dua Pvt Ltd, Timur Terang Pvt Ltd, Strait Bay Pvt Ltd, Layar Suria Pvt Ltd) [2017] MLJU 2308
  • Cecilia Yiin Suk Kiong & Anor v. Citibank Ltd & Others [2015] 9 MLJ 795
  • See Teow Guan v. Yeoh Jin Hoe & Others (Aspire Insight Pvt Ltd) [2015] MLJU 393
  • Good View Property Pvt Ltd v. Standard Chartered Bank (Malaysia) Ltd [2014] MLJU 489
  • Tenaga Nasional Berhad v. Chong Ching Food Supply [2014] 9 MLJ 18
  • CMA CGM v. Ban Hoe Leong Marine Supplies Pvt Ltd & Others [2012] MLJU 818
  • Gunalan Balan & Others v. HSBC Bank (Malaysia) Ltd [2011] 2 LNS 1044

Qualifications & Professional Affiliations

  • Advocate and Solicitor, High Court of Malaya (2011)
  • Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Aberystwyth University Wales (2009)
  • Barrister-at-Law of England and Wales (Lincoln’s Inn, UK) (2010)
  • Master of Science in Construction Law & Dispute Resolution, King’s College London (2021)
  • Advocate & Solicitor, High Court of Malaya
  • Certified Adjudicator (AIAC)
  • Member, ASEAN Law Association
  • Member, The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn Malaysia
  • Member, Society of Construction Law

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