Aparajita Chakraborty
Aparajita is a Counsel in the Corporate Department of KBH’s Dubai office. Aparajita is a dual-qualified lawyer, and has been practicing corporate law for over 10 years with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, joint ventures, corporate governance and general corporate advisory. In her area of expertise, Aparajita has advised several listed and unlisted companies in India, UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain in the space of pharmaceuticals, healthcare, media and entertainment, information technology, food and beverages.
Prior to joining KBH in 2019, Aparajita was a Senior Associate with Khaitan & Co, in Mumbai, India.
DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
- Extensive representation of one of the largest family investment offices in the GCC. Some of the key transactions include:
- Represented the family investment office in its investment in one of the leading solar companies in the Middle East and Africa;
- Represented the family investment office in relation to its subscription of shares in a start-up based in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM);
- Represented the family investment office in relation to its investment in an Israeli company engaged in public safety technology (this transaction involved subscription to a SAFE note (an instrument containing future right to shares);
- Represented the family investment office in relation to the sale of shares in an exempted company in the Cayman Islands in consideration for its acquisition of shares in the holding company of the exempted company in question;
- Represented the family investment office in relation to its investments made into a special purpose vehicle in Guernsey (SPV), in order for the SPV to make a secondary purchase of shares in a financial technology company based in California specialising in micro-investing and robo-investing; and
- Advising the family investment office in relation to its obligations under the Economic Substance Regulations (ESR) as a result of one of the big four accounting firms in the UAE having incorrectly advised the family investment office leading to the Securities and Commodities Authority raising an inquiry into the affairs of the family investment office.
- Advising a leading healthcare provider in France, in relation to the setting up of a 100-inpatient long-term care hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
- Advising a leading healthcare provider in France, in relation to the setting up of a mental healthcare centre in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
- Advised the owner of a four-star hotel in the Kingdom of Bahrain in relation to the appointment of an operator for management of the property.
- Advising minority shareholders in relation to their exit from a DMCC company (Company). The exit involved a secondary sale of shares by the shareholders to the majority shareholder of the Company (an offshore company) and the sale by the Company of its subsidiary in Ukraine to the minority shareholders.
- Advising a private company in the Kingdom of Bahrain in relation to its acquisition of a franchise from a prestigious fashion house operating as a manufacturer and seller of luxury goods.
- Advising a hospitality management company in relation to the setting up of a pop-up restaurant as part of the “Diriyah” season in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Advising the DIFC branch of one of the premier business schools in India in relation to its obligations under the DIFC Data Protection Law and DIFC Employment Law.
- Advising the subsidiary of an American company in the UAE in relation to its obligations under the UAE labour law.
- Advising a DIFC entity and its onshore branch in relation to HR and employment law aspects under the UAE labour law as well as DIFC Employment Law.
DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE IN INDIA
- Represented Rainshine Entertainment Private Limited in its acquisition of a significant stake in Weirdass Comedy Private Limited and Kinsane Entertainment Inc (Media);
- Represented Astral Poly Technik Limited, the second largest pipe manufacturer in India in its acquisition of Rex Polyextrusion Private Limited (USD 21.4 million) (Pipes and fittings);
- Represented Birlasoft in relation to the merger of Birlasoft (India) Limited with KPIT Technologies Limited (USD 700 million) (Information Technology).
- Represented Nirma Limited in its acquisition of the entire shareholding of Lafarge India Limited (USD 1.4 billion) (Cement).
- Represented Plasma Biotal Limited in a joint venture between Plasma Biotal Limited and BioRad Medisys Private Limited (Biotechnology);
- Represented Famycare Limited in the acquisition of the female healthcare business of Famycare Limited by Mylan Inc (USD 750 million) (Healthcare).
- Represented Kancor Ingredients in the acquisition of a majority stake in Kancor Ingredients Limited by Mane S.A (Food and Beverages).
- Represented Hinduja in the merger of Hinduja Ventures Limited and IDL Specialty Chemicals Limited (Chemicals).
- Represented Sulzer Friction Systems (India) Limited in the acquisition of shares in Sulzer Friction by Oerlikon Balzers Coating India Private Limited as part of the global disinvestment by Sulzer AG worth CHF 1 billion (Automotive).
- Represented Aim Filtertech Private Limited in relation to the in relation to the acquisition of minority interest in Aim Filtertech by Neenah Gessner GmbH (Industrial Filtration).
Admissions:
- Solicitor, England and Wales
- Advocate, India (Member of the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa)
- UAE registered Legal Consultant
Languages:
- English
- Hindi
- Bengali
Representative work:
Litigation
- Huobi OTC DMCC v (1) Tabarak Investment Capital Limited (2) Christian Thurner [2020] – Acting for the First Defendant, an investment management firm, in a claim relating to the transfer and storage of bitcoins. This is the first cryptocurrency case in the Technology and Construction Division of the DIFC Courts and was heard in December 2021 before the former Court of Appeal Judge Justice Sir Richard Field
- DIFC Case No. CFI-043-2022 (i) William Allan Jones, (ii) Coffee Planet LLC, and (iii) Coffee Planet Roastery FZE v Robert Anthony Jones (the Proceedings) [2022] – Acting for the Defendant in a family dispute where the Defendant was the subject of an injunction and freezing order in the context of extant proceedings in the Dubai Courts. Challenging jurisdiction as well as the DIFC court’s authority to give a Black Swan injunction.
- CFI-062-2021 – Sawhney & Anor v Credit Suisse AG [2022] – Acting for a Claimant in a financial mis-selling case and defending an strike out and immediate judgment application in court.
- Union Bank of India (DIFC Branch) v (1) Velocity Industries LLC (2) Velocity Venture Limited (3) Umaku Trade Invest Limited (4) Vijey Kapoor (5) Ravi Kuchimanchi (6) Rajinder Makhijani (7) Parag Gupta (8) Devika Makhijani [2020] – Acting for the Sixth – Eighth Defendants in a claim against them pursuant to alleged obligations under personal guarantees.
