Singapore’s government has selected WongPartnership, Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, and TSMP Law Corporation for a seven-person committee evaluating businesses connected to Indonesia’s land-clearing fires, which caused this year’s most severe haze in the city-state.
The panel, known as the Panel on Transboundary Haze, also includes Toby Landau KC of Duxton Hill Chambers and three investigations firms: Control Risks, FTI Consulting, and Kroll. These members have expertise in forensic investigations, financial analysis, corporate intelligence, risk advisory, and legal services.
Davinder Singh Chambers has been appointed as advisor to coordinate the panel firms’ work, ensuring their evaluation reports address relevant issues and contain necessary information and evidence for the National Environment Agency (NEA)’s assessment.
Companies identified by the government have been asked to engage a team chosen by the NEA, consisting of one investigations firm and one law firm or legal advisor from the panel. The assessors will evaluate the companies’ operations, corporate relationships, and supply chains, with the companies expected to cooperate fully.
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The companies will bear the cost of the assessment, and the assessors will submit an evaluation report to the NEA. The NEA will use the findings to decide whether further action is warranted.
The government intends to table amendments to the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 at the next parliamentary sitting, giving the framework legal force. Singapore is currently experiencing its longest unhealthy haze episode of 2026, driven by land-clearing fires in Indonesia and exacerbated by El Niño conditions.
The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) first entered the “Unhealthy” range on Sept. 4, and has repeatedly breached that level since then, peaking at 192 on Oct. 9. The NEA has served legal notices on at least 20 agricultural, forestry, and palm oil companies in Singapore and Indonesia.
Senior officials have warned that non-compliance with the planned amendments to the haze act will be treated as a criminal offence. They are also examining whether implicated firms receive state grants or incentives, with the Monetary Authority of Singapore supervising banks to ensure they scrutinize environmental risks before lending to these agricultural groups.
