Singapore proposes stronger investigative powers, stiffer penalties in expedited review of transboundary haze law
Status quo is no longer tenable, Grace Fu tells Parliament, as she moves to pass the changes in a single sitting
Singapore's Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Grace Fu, has proposed strengthening investigative powers and imposing stricter penalties in the expedited review of the transboundary haze law. Fu stated that the current status quo is no longer tenable and that the government needs to enhance its ability to gather information from companies suspected of contributing to haze.
Proposed changes include empowering the director-general of environmental protection to require entities with suspected links to haze pollution to appoint private sector assessors, who will then submit evaluation reports to the National Environment Agency (NEA). Additionally, the government could direct entities to restrict their supply chains and financiers from engaging with them, as well as impose restrictions on their business dealings.
These changes are part of a broader effort to establish a specialist panel to investigate companies linked to transboundary haze and expand the government's ability to hold companies accountable for their actions, even if criminal prosecution proves difficult.
Written by urgent.news from The Business Times - Companies & Markets's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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