Both former auditors* of defunct Singapore bunker supplier Inter-Pacific Petroleum (IPP) have been scheduled to appear for private oral examination at the High Court of the Republic of Singapore on 2 October and 13 October respectively, learned Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times.

The auditors were under employment of One Assurance LLP, a public accounting firm providing accounting and auditing services to IPP for the financial years ending 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2017, according to court documents obtained.

IPP Judicial Managers (JMs) Deloitte Singapore obtained a court order to seek further information from IPP’s two former auditors on September 2022, who following submitted their affidavits to the institution on December 2022.

On May 2023, the former auditors of IPP further agreed to undergo examination by IPP JMs who were seeking for clarification regarding allegedly unpaid invoices issued to Mercuria dated between September 2017 to December 2017.

In short, the JMs wished to understand if the former IPP auditors:

• Were reasonably assured financial statements prepared during IPP’s audit were free from misstatements even though receivables owed by Mercuria have been outstanding for more than the credit term of 60 days as at the time of the auditor’s issued report.
• Confirm they were reasonably assured their assessment of the receivables owed by Mercuria Energy were not in any way doubtful.

The above development was due to a prior 11 January 2018 payment by Mercuria, where at least 32 earlier invoices dated between 9 September 2017 to 20 December 2017 amounting to USD 90 million (exact: USD 90,103,788.96) remained unpaid.

Background

IPP, a former Singapore bunker supplier and bunker craft operator, filed for judicial management at the High Court on August 2019.

A civil trial between IPP JMs and its former Singapore Director, namely Dr Goh Jin Hian, started on April 2023 at the High Court of the Republic of Singapore.

Judicial Managers Deloitte & Touche are suing Dr Goh for over USD 156 million over losses of IPP due to alleged breach of his director’s duties.

The Singapore branch of Maybank is looking to recover an amount of USD 88.3 million while Societe Generale (SocGen) is owed USD 81.3 million that they allege to be due to Dr Goh’s negligence as director.

Reportedly, Dr Goh has said that it is not the responsibility of the director to authenticate documents from management and he disputes against the banks’ own due diligence and credit risk assessment.

*Singapore bunkering publication Manifold Times has chosen to withhold the names of IPP’s former auditors.

A timeline organised list of events preceding the current development of Inter-Pacific Petroleum has been recorded by Manifold Times below:

Related: Singapore: Civil trial between Inter-Pacific Petroleum and Dr Goh Jin Hian begins
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Related: Singapore: Inter-Pacific Group receives winding up order from High Court
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Related: MPA revokes Inter-Pacific Petroleum Pte Ltd bunker supplier licence
Related: Co-heads of Trade and Commodities Finance for Asia-Pacific leave SocGen
Related: Inter-Pacific Group, Inter-Pacific Petroleum to hold creditors’ meet
Related: NewOcean detains Singapore-flagged bunker tanker “Pacific Energy 28”
Related: SocGen lawsuit against NewOcean Petroleum dropped, party to counterclaim
Related: MPA revokes Inter-Pacific Petroleum bunker craft operator licence
Related: Magnets on MFMs: Trial starts for former bunker clerk of “Consort Justice
Related: First suspect charged over MFM tampering in landmark case
Related: With nearly $180 million of debt, IPP proposes interim judicial management
Related: Inter-Pacific Group, Inter-Pacific Petroleum under judicial management
Related: Magnets on MFMs: “Consort Justice” crew pleads ‘not guilty’ to tampering charge
Related: IPP responds to temporary suspension of bunker craft operator licence
Related: MPA temporarily suspends IPP bunker craft operator licence
Related: Singapore: Bunker Cargo officer, crew face charges over alleged MFM tampering

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 6 October, 2023