Singapore to form panel to help look into firms linked to haze fires
MinLaw says the panel will have law, audit and investigative firms. Local and foreign companies will be examined for involvement in causing or condoning the…
The Singapore government will form a specialist panel to help look into companies that may have played a part in the fires behind the haze, according to the Ministry of Law (MinLaw). MinLaw announced the plan on Friday (Oct 23).
Who will sit on the panel
The panel will be made up of law firms, audit firms and investigative firms that have expertise in cross-border inquiries and investigations. To help ensure that inquiries are handled properly in several jurisdictions, the firm Davinder Singh Chambers, whose areas of focus are dispute resolution and international arbitration, has been named as adviser on how the experts' efforts should be coordinated. MinLaw said "Mr Davinder Singh SC 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."
What companies will have to do
Both local and foreign companies, along with their corporate relationships and supply chains, will be examined to see whether they were involved in causing or condoning the fires. Companies identified by the government must hire professionals from the panel to carry out thorough inquiries and submit thorough audits to the government. Full cooperation is also required of them, along with open and unrestricted entry to pertinent information and to how they operate.
MinLaw said the panel "will help the government establish the facts, including where complex corporate structures and commercial arrangements span multiple jurisdictions."
Government agencies with relevant responsibilities, together with the Attorney-General's Chambers, will evaluate what the inquiries find. Other regulatory agencies, including MAS and NEA, are also following up on the matter. MinLaw said further details will be released next week.
Background
Since Sep 4, Singapore has had periods of unhealthy air quality as the haze came back this year. Senior Minister K Shanmugam cautioned on Monday that Singapore would deploy every available legal, regulatory and economic lever to target those companies behind the haze, and would keep after them for "as long as it takes". He said Singapore will look beyond individual concession holders to large groups and "persons who may ultimately control them". "If there are linkages, we will try and go after these groups as well," he said.
Under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, 10 Indonesian companies are to receive preventative measures notices from Singapore, which announced this earlier in the month, in connection with fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra that might have added to the haze.
