Court to hold hearing of Bayan appeal over coal dispute in February

The Singapore Court of Appeal is expected to hold hearing in February 2018 over an appeal filed by IDX-listed coal firm PT Bayan Resources Tbk over a July 25 second tranche ruling of the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) in relation to its legal dispute with BCBC Singapore Pte Ltd. (BCBCS), a subsidiary of ASX-listed White Energy Company Ltd (WEC).

WEC said in a statement on Friday that while the Bayan appeal was ?not unexpected,? it will delay the so-called tranche 3 decision of the SICC.

?The legal costs of this appeal will not be substantial, but will delay the Tranche 3 decision. The tranche 3 decision is to deal with the extent of damages and costs caused by Bayan by their actions as found in the original Tranche 2 decision,? WEC said.

As has been previously reported, Bayan and BCBCS, a subsidiary of ASX-listed White Energy Company Ltd (WEC), has been engaged in a legal dispute over a joint venture coal upgrading plant project, located at Bayan?s mine in Tabang, East Kalimantan Province.

WEC through subsidiaries BCBCS and Binderless Coal Briquetting Company Pty Ltd (BCBC) filed lawsuit against Bayan and its subsidiary Bayan International Pte Ltd, accusing the coal miner among others of breaching coal supply obligation to the joint venture, called PT Kaltim Supracoal, in which WEC holds 51 percent interest.

WEC said previously that the SICC had on July 25 ruled in favor of the company in a second tranche trial against Bayan. The second tranche of the trial was heard by the SICC in January 2017.

The third tranche of the trial will be required to determine issues of causation and damage. The court released in April of last year its judgement in relation to the first tranche of the trial among others dismissing the counterclaims brought by Bayan, WEC said.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak