
Jason Harel
Chairman and Co-Founding Partner | ALN Mauritius | BLC Robert & Associates Top Law Firm in Mauritius
Physical Address:
2nd Floor, The Axis, 26 Bank Street, Cybercity, Ebene 72201, Mauritius
Telephone:
+230 403 2400Email Address:
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Background
Jason Harel is the Chairman and Co-Founding Partner at BLC Robert & Associates. Under his leadership, the Firm has become the leading independent business law firm in Mauritius and is ranked as a Tier One firm by legal directories such as Legal500, Chambers and Partners, and IFLR1000.
Jason leads the Corporate and Commercial department of the firm and is consistently ranked as a ‘leading practitioner’ in his field by the main worldwide legal directories. He has a broad-based corporate advisory and transactional practice focused on real estate (including hospitality), corporate M&A, workouts and corporate re-structuring, as well as projects. He also advises in respect of taxation (especially transactional taxes), projects and commercial disputes in conjunction with the dispute resolution team of BLC. He acts as an advisor to several leading companies in Mauritius and elsewhere guiding them in their strategic transactions. Jason spends a considerable amount of his time advising clients in respect of their strategic investments in Africa.
Jason is qualified as a Chartered Accountant and a Barrister in England and Wales as well as Mauritius. He sits on a number of boards of directors including being the chairman of a family-controlled hotel group.
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Professional Membership
- Institute of Chartered Accountants
- Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
- Mauritius Bar Association
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Professional Qualifications
1998 – 1999: Inns of Court School of Law
1998: Qualified as Chartered Accountant
1991 – 1994: Bachelor of Laws, LL. B, University of Wales, Aberystwyth – LLB(Hons)
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Career Summary
2024 – Date: Chariman, BLC Robert & Associates
2005 – 2024: Partner, BLC Robert & Associates
2000 – 2005: Denton Wilde Sapte, Solicitors
1999 – 2000: Pupil to Philip Baker QC, Grays Inn Tax Chamber
1994 – 1998: Kingston Smith, Chartered Accountants (Corporate recovery and forensic accountants)
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Awards and Recognition
- Jason is ranked by Chambers Global as a Leading Lawyer since 2011.
- Jason was recognised among the leading M&A practitioners in Africa in the inaugural Legal 500 M&A Africa Private Practice Powerlist (2024).
“[Jason is] a lateral thinker – innovative.” – IFLR1000
“[Jason] shows leadership, and clear and innovative thinking. Will go the extra mile.” – IFLR1000
“Jason is outstanding in corporate law including acquisitions, sale of shares and investments” – Legal 500
“Jason Harel is a brilliant business minded lawyer that is well connected and a team player” – Legal 500
“Jason is always clear in his advice, very responsive and understands what the client needs and
what is required to deliver” – Chambers Global -
Top Matters
Corporate Commercial
- Advising on a joint venture between a leading South African company specialising in laboratory and clinical trials and a Mauritian company specialising in the breeding and export of non-human primates adapted for pharmacology and toxicology research.
Mergers & Acquisitions
- Advising Vivo Energy in connection with its acquisition of Engen International Holdings (Mauritius) by Vivo Energy’s subsidiary, Vivo Energy Investments B.V.
- Advising on the sale of a leading integrated gas company in Nigeria.
- Advising Dentressangle Initiatives, a leading family-run investment holding company in Europe, in connection with the acquisition of shares in Sun Resorts Limited, a chain of hotels in Mauritius and listed on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius.
- Advising a wholly-owned subsidiary of MCB Group Limited, owner of the biggest bank in Mauritius, in connection with the acquisition of the entire shareholding of Club Med S.A.S, representing 84.43% of the shares in COVIFRA, a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius.
- Advising Deutsche Bank’s global transaction banking division, in connection with the sale of its Corporate Services business to Vistra Group, a private equity firm that provides tailored trust, fiduciary, fund, and corporate services.
- Advising an international bank in connection with the sale of its Nigerian subsidiary to the minority shareholders.
- Advising an international corporation in connection with the purchase of a Mauritian company which owns breweries in India.
- Advising a Mauritian corporation in connection with its bid for a Mauritius listed company.
- Advising a Mauritian corporation in connection with the disposal of its subsidiary in Malawi and acquisition of a minority stake in a Seychelles corporation by way of a share exchange agreement.
Tax
- Successfully acting for Shoprite, one of Africa’s largest supermarket retailers, before the Privy Council in connection with an appeal against a VAT assessment on management fees not invoiced nor paid.
Real Estate
- Acting for the main contractor of a residential project valued at approximately USD 40 million in connection with the proposed takeover of that project out of its liquidation.
- Advising One&Only Le Saint Geran, a luxury resort in Mauritius, in connection with rental pool agreements in relation to the construction of private residences for guests.
- Advising Apavou Hotels in connection with a share purchase and subscription agreement and a joint venture agreement between Apavou Hotels and Sun Resorts Limited.
- Acting for an international financial institution in connection with its activities in Mauritius by way of auction bids.
- Acting for Aegide Domitys, a real estate firm, and 2Futures, one of the leading real estate and property development companies in Mauritius, in connection with the EUR 58.5 million structuring and capital raise for the construction of 155 services senior apartments in Mauritius.
- Advising the sponsor of a hotel project in Nigeria in connection with the negotiation of the management agreement, shareholders agreement and lending documents.
Arbitration
- Advising and acting for one of the largest corporations in Japan in connection with a MUR 25 Million dispute with the special administrator of Iframac, one of the leading automotive delaerships in Mauritius.
- Advising a number of fund managers and promoters in connection with the setting up of collective investment schemes in Mauritius.
- Advising the successful bidder in connection with the privatisation of a sugar estate in Uganda.
- Advising a project company in connection with a single point mooring/pipeline project in Ghana.
- Advising an English corporation in connection with its joint venture with a Mauritius corporation to develop an integrated resort scheme.
- Advising an aircraft manufacturer in connection with its offset agreement with the Government of Mauritius and the setting up of the offset fund.
Corporate Governance
- Advising a Mauritius listed corporation in connection with the implementation of the code of corporate governance of Mauritius.
- Advising an international bank in connection with the setting up of a real estate fund in Mauritius for investments in India.
- Advising New Cingular Inc., doing business as AT&T Mobility, in connection with the sale of its shareholding in Idea Cellular, an Indian telecommunications company in India.
- Advising the sponsor of an integrated resort in Botswana in relation to the appointment of a hotel operator which included the review and negotiation of the terms of the hotel management agreement and technical services agreement.
Banking & Project Finance
- Advising an international bank in connection with the project financing of a hotel project in Seychelles.
- Advising a Kenyan company in connection with a restructuring/workout of its existing debt by way of a property receivables backed project financing.
- Advising an international bank in connection with the work-out of an East African, including Mauritius, oil company.
- Advising an international oil company in connection with the work-out of its secured debtor in Nigeria.
- Advising an English company and a Mauritian entity in connection with their setting up of operations and certain related debt and equity investment arrangements in relation to their finance businesses.
Insolvency
- Advising the administrator of a British company in connection with the sale of its subsidiary which owned a mine in Zimbabwe.
- Advising a major oil company in connection with the receivership and subsequent liquidation of the Zambian National Oil Company.
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