Wong Kian Kheong J:

A. Background

[1] In 1978, the Malaysian Government (Government) entered into a "Host Country Agreement" [HCA (1978)] with the Asian-African Legal Consultative Committee (AALCC). AALCC is an international governmental organisation and has changed its name in 2001 to Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO).

[2] The HCA (1978) established the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA).

[3] The HCA (1978) was renewed by the Government and AALCO on 26 March 2013 [HCA (2013)]. On 7 February 2018, a supplementary agreement to HCA (2013) has been concluded by the Government and AALCO.

[4] KLRCA is subsequently named as Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC).

[5] On 21 November 2018, the late Mr Vinayak Prabhakar Pradhan (Mr Pradhan) was appointed by the Government as AIAC's acting Director (Acting Director). The Government subsequently confirmed Mr Pradhan's appointment as AIAC's Director (Director) on 5 May 2019.