Singapore will form panel of experts to help investigations into haze-linked firms

The panel will comprise law firms, audit firms and investigative firms.

ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Published Oct 23, 2026, 09:00 PM

Updated Oct 23, 2026, 09:00 PM

SINGAPORE – To support Singapore’s efforts to identify and hold accountable firms that may be responsible for, or have contributed to, the fires causing haze in Singapore, a specialist panel of experts will be created, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said on Oct 23.

The panel will comprise law firms, audit firms and investigative firms. It will bring together professionals with the expertise, networks and capabilities to conduct cross-border inquiries, trace complex corporate relationships and examine supply chains spanning multiple jurisdictions, said the ministry.

The Government said it has appointed Davinder Singh Chambers as an advisor to the Government to advise on coordinating the work done by the panel experts. The firm has extensive experience in cross-border inquiries and complex legal structures, said the Law Ministry. It will advise the Government, and help coordinate and manage the conduct of inquiries across different jurisdictions.

Companies identified by the Government will be required to engage professionals from the panel to conduct thorough inquiries into their operations, corporate relationships, and supply chains, and to submit thorough audits to the Government, MinLaw said.

“Companies will be expected to cooperate fully and provide unfettered access to relevant information and their operations as may be necessary for the inquiries,” MinLaw said. “The panel will help the Government establish the facts, including where complex corporate structures and commercial arrangements span multiple jurisdictions,” the spokesperson added.

The inquiries will require information-gathering and related work overseas, and government agencies, including the Attorney-General’s Chambers, may face legal and practical limitations in carrying out such work in other jurisdictions, the ministry pointed out.

“This is because there are generally limitations imposed by countries on what work can be done in their territories by overseas government agencies,” it added.

Davinder Singh Chambers will coordinate the work done by the panel’s experts, ensuring that the necessary inquiries and investigations are properly conducted across different jurisdictions.

“Mr Davinder Singh has extensive experience in cross-border corporate investigations and complex legal structures, and will provide specialist advice and guidance on the conduct of the inquiries,” said the ministry.

Other agencies, including NEA and the Monetary Authority of Singapore are also involved, and more details will be announced next week.

The findings of these inquiries will be assessed by the relevant Government agencies and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

Lawyers have previously told ST that enforcing the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act is challenging due to the cross-border nature of investigations and difficulties in collecting evidence of haze-causing fire sources outside of Singapore.

For one thing, even environmental watchdogs based in Indonesia struggle to get access to up-to-date maps of plantation companies. Without such information, it is difficult to determine a fire’s origin through satellite images alone.

On Oct 16, The Jakarta Post reported that Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry had restricted people from retrieving information from its mapping platform Sigap without written approval. It also threatened criminal charges against those who allegedly used geospatial data without the government’s authorisation.

And 11 years since Singapore sent legal notices to six Indonesian companies, four cases remain open. There are no penalties if firms do not comply with the notices, unlike the information-gathering notices sent to the 10 Singapore companies on Oct 23.

Obtaining information needed to identify companies responsible for fires overseas is a major challenge to enforcing the law.

Environmental issues

National Environment Agency

该小组将由律师事务所、审计公司和调查公司组成。

《海峡时报》照片：梁崇俊

发布于2026年10月23日晚上9点

更新于2026年10月23日晚上9点

新加坡——新加坡律政部（MinLaw）于10月23日表示，为支持新加坡努力查明并追究可能对造成新加坡烟霾的火灾负有责任或有所贡献的公司的责任，将成立一个专家小组。

该委员会将由律师事务所、审计事务所和调查事务所组成。该部表示，委员会将汇集具备开展跨境调查、追踪复杂企业关系和审查跨多个司法管辖区供应链所需的专业知识、人脉和能力。

政府表示，已委任达文德·辛格律师事务所（Davinder Singh Chambers）担任政府顾问，负责协调专家组的工作。法律部称，该事务所在跨境调查和复杂的法律结构方面拥有丰富的经验。事务所将为政府提供咨询，并协助协调和管理跨司法管辖区的调查工作。

律政部表示，政府指定的公司将被要求聘请专家小组的专业人员对其运营、公司关系和供应链进行彻底调查，并向政府提交全面的审计报告。

律政部表示：“各公司将被要求全力配合，并根据调查需要，提供相关信息和运营情况的不受限制的查阅权限。”发言人补充道：“调查小组将协助政府查明事实，包括涉及多个司法管辖区的复杂公司结构和商业安排。”

该部指出，调查需要收集信息和在海外开展相关工作，包括总检察署在内的政府机构在其他司法管辖区开展此类工作时可能会面临法律和实际限制。

“这是因为各国通常会对海外政府机构在其领土内开展的工作施加限制，”声明补充道。

Davinder Singh Chambers 将协调小组专家的工作，确保在不同的司法管辖区内妥善开展必要的调查和询问。

该部表示：“达文德·辛格先生在跨境公司调查和复杂的法律结构方面拥有丰富的经验，他将为调查的开展提供专业建议和指导。”

包括国家环境局和新加坡金融管理局在内的其他机构也参与其中，更多细节将于下周公布。

这些调查结果将由相关政府机构和总检察署进行评估。

律师们此前曾告诉《海峡时报》，由于调查的跨境性质以及在新加坡境外收集造成雾霾的火灾源证据的困难，执行《跨境烟霾污染法》面临挑战。

首先，即使是总部设在印尼的环境监督机构也很难获取种植园公司的最新地图。如果没有这些信息，仅凭卫星图像很难确定火灾的起因。

10月16日，《雅加达邮报》报道称，印尼林业部已限制未经书面许可的人员从其地图平台Sigap获取信息。该部门还威胁要对那些涉嫌未经政府授权使用地理空间数据的人提起刑事诉讼。

新加坡向六家印尼公司发出法律通知至今已过去11年，其中四起案件仍未结案。与10月23日向十家新加坡公司发出的信息收集通知不同，印尼公司若不遵守法律通知，不会受到任何处罚。

获取识别海外火灾责任公司所需信息是执法的一大挑战。

环境问题

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