Passawan Navanithikul
Partner
T +662 029 1700 Ext 104
M +66 89 678 9697
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Passawan Navanithikul
Education
Master of Laws, International Business Law, American University,
Washington College of Law, USA
Bachelor of Laws, Chulalongkorn University (Honors)
Bars and Courts
Admitted in Thailand
Recent Experience
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited
Advising Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited on a THB 25 billion credit facility granted to Charoen Pokphand Holding Co., Ltd, to finance their investment in C.P. Retail Holding Co., Ltd. In the form of equity injection for the purpose of its subsidiary acquiring Tesco Stores in Thailand and Malaysia. The whole transaction worth approximately THB 336,400,000,000 and it is by far the biggest M&A transaction in Thailand
BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited
Advising BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited in the financing for Northern Bangkok Monorail Company Limited and Eastern Bangkok Monorail Company Limited in respect of the new mass transit Pink Line (Khae Rai - Min Buri) and Yellow Line (Lat Phrao - Samrong) monorail systems, respectively. The two monorail companies are jointly invested in by BTS Group Holdings Public Company Limited, Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction Public Company Limited and Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding Public Company Limited. The financing for each project is THB 31,680 million (approximately USD 950 million), with facilities of THB 63,360 million (approximately USD 1,900 million) in total. The financiers are Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai Bank and Siam Commercial Bank. The deal was award as Project Finance Deal of the Year by Asian Legal Business SE Asia Law Awards, 2018.
Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev)
Advising Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) and Beerco Limited on the financing for the USD 4.83 billion acquisition of 53.59% of Saigon Beer Alcohol and Beverage Joint Stock Corporation (SABECO) by Vietnam Beverage Company Limited, an associated company of ThaiBev, from the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade. Vietnam Beverage and Beerco Limited financed the purchase through equity capital and loans from Thai and foreign banks. The financing was comprised of THB 20,000 million (x5) bilateral loan agreements from Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited, Bank of Ayudhya Public Company Limited, KASIKORNBANK Public Company Limited, Krungthai Bank Public Company Limited, and Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited. and USD 1,950 million from Mizuho Bank, Ltd. as Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunner and Standard Charted Bank as Mandated Lead Arranger. Thai Bev provided a corporate guarantee of performance under the loan facility. This was the highest value financing in Thailand in 2017.
Dtac Trinet Company Limited (dtn)
Advising dtac Trinet Company Limited (dtn), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (dtac) – the second largest GSM mobile phone provider in Thailand, as a borrower for five credit facility agreements in an aggregate of approximately THB 6.7 billion from various major Thai and Japanese commercial banks in Thailand. The financing was for the 1800 MHz license and/or the 900 MHz (4G) license bidding arranged by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand, in which dtn is a bidding arm of dtac. The financing was also used for capex investment in the 2100 MHz license and refinancing of dtac’s loan under syndicated facility agreement.
Berli Jucker Public Company Limited (BJC)
Advising Berli Jucker Public Company Limited (BJC) in the EURO 3.2 billion bridge facilities (approximately USD 3.6 billion) provided by international banks namely, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Rabobank ICBC, Mizuho Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, SMBC and Bangkok Bank. The funds are for the acquisition of a 58.56% stake in the Big C Supercenter Plc, a large nationwide retail store, from the France-based , Casino Group. This is the largest acquisition financing in Thailand in 2016.
Awards & Recognition
Asia Best Lawyer, IFLR1000, 2019-2020
Market Leader, Banking and Project Finance, IFLR1000
Market Leader, Project Development, IFLR1000
Band 2 lawyer, Banking & Finance, Chambers and Partners, 2013-2019
Recommended Lawyer, 2014-2020, The Legal 500
Leading Lawyer (Distinguished Practitioner), 2015-2021
Highly Recommended – Projects and Infrastructure, Asialaw, 2019
Highly Recommended – Energy and Natural Resources, Asialaw, 2019
The A List, Thailand's Top 100 Lawyers, Asia Business Law Journel
Publication
Author of International Comparative Legal Guide (ICLG) – Aviation Law 2021 (a practical cross-border insight into Aviation Law) for Thailand.