His contract ran until 2029 - the company said quitting would cost S$1.7 million
A Singapore energy firm wanted S$1.7 million from a broker who quit. It got S$132,000.
Poten & Partners, an energy and ocean transportation brokerage affiliated with BGC Partners, took its former senior liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) broker to the Singapore High Court after he resigned on April 4, 2025 - just 39 days after signing his latest employment contract with the company.In a judgment handed down on October 7, 2026, the court awarded the firm S$131,745.27 across three claims. A long way from the S$1.7 million-plus it had chased.
The broker had worked at Poten since November 2017. In February 2025, he signed his fifth employment contract with the firm - an amended agreement that locked in an "Initial Period" running through to May 15, 2029.
Then he quit.
He emailed his immediate superior on April 4, 2025, saying he was resigning effective immediately and understood his six-month garden leave would run until October 2025. He did not return to the office.
What happened next is where the contract dispute kicked in.
BGC's HR manager emailed the broker five days later, directing him to return to work until the expiry of his notice period - which she put at May 15, 2029. When he did not comply, a demand letter followed for S$1,748,807.66. The broker replied that he saw no reason to pay money to Poten.
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