Singapore appoints seven firms to specialist panel probing haze-linked companies

Singapore's Ministry of Law and the National Environment Agency announced on Friday that a specialist panel has been formed to examine companies identified by the government for possible links to the fires that cause transboundary haze. Seven members were named: investigation firms Control Risks Group, FTI Consulting (Singapore) and Kroll Singapore, together with law firms Dentons Rodyk & Davidson LLP, Toby Landau King's Counsel of Duxton Hill Chambers, TSMP Law Corporation and WongPartnership LLP. The agencies said the panel members bring expertise in forensic investigations, financial analysis, corporate intelligence, risk advisory and legal services.

Senior counsel Davinder Singh SC, through Davinder Singh Chambers, will advise the panel and coordinate the work of the assessors to ensure that evaluation reports contain the evidence needed by the National Environment Agency. Companies identified by the government will be required to engage a panel team—comprising an investigations firm and a law firm—to conduct detailed inquiries into their operations, corporate relationships and supply chains, and to submit audit reports at their own expense.

"The assessment will be conducted at the companies’ own expenses. The assessors will submit an evaluation report to NEA, which will take the findings into account in determining whether further action is warranted," the two agencies said.

The panel may be expanded if necessary, and some law firms were excluded because they are already advising the targeted companies. The move follows a meeting where Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Senior Minister K Shanmugam and Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu met with senior executives of ten firms, including Bumitama Agri and Wilmar International, to outline expectations and strengthen enforcement under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.