Dutch court orders probe into Nexperia, dealing blow to Chinese parent

By Toby Sterling and Bart H. Meijer

AMSTERDAM, Feb 11 (Reuters) - A Dutch court ordered an investigation into mismanagement at chipmaker Nexperia, dealing a blow to Chinese parent Wingtech 600745.SS by allowing the European management team that took charge after a Dutch state intervention last year to stay in place.

The fight over Nexperia, which has spread from boardrooms to Brussels and Beijing, is one of the most prominent recent corporate standoffs between Europe and China and has disrupted global supplies of basic chips to the car industry.

A breakdown between Nexperia's European wafer production arm and its China-based parent and Chinese packaging subsidiary remains unresolved.

"The situation at Nexperia primarily calls for stability so that Nexperia can restore its internal relationships, its production chain, and its delivery to customers," judges at the Amsterdam Enterprise Chamber said in a written decision.

NEXPERIA, CHINESE PARENT SEEK WAY OUT OF STANDOFF

During the probe - expected to take months - emergency measures imposed in October that include the suspension of former CEO and Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng and the temporary transfer of shareholder voting rights to a Dutch court-appointed administrator, will remain in place, the court said.

Wingtech now has little chance of regaining control of Nexperia before it follows through on plans to expand packaging facilities in Malaysia, ensuring a non-Chinese chip supply for its customers.

Wingtech said in a statement it regretted the court decision, but will "continue to pursue the restoration of its full shareholder rights through all available legal means." It noted that the investigation will also examine the actions of European managers, something its lawyers had requested.

The Chinese packaging arm, operating independently as Nexperia China, is seeking to replace European-made wafers with domestic Chinese alternatives.

The two sides could still negotiate a less costly resolution.

"We hope to engage in constructive and meaningful dialogue with management in China as soon as possible," a Nexperia spokesperson said.