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Singapore

Singapore passes haze law allowing financial sanctions without criminal conviction

The amended Transboundary Haze Pollution Act lets authorities cut off bank credit and raise fines tenfold, a shift that could reach supply chains and financiers.

Photo: Singapore Business Review

What happened

Singapore's legislature approved amendments to the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act on 4 November, adding administrative powers that do not require a criminal conviction. BriefAsia+1 The National Environment Agency can designate entities and order financial institutions to withdraw credit, insurance and supply arrangements. BriefAsia Maximum fines rise from S$2 million to S$20 million per contravention, and authorities can require firms to appoint independent assessors at their own cost. BriefAsia+1 The amendments extend the law's trigger to overseas fires that create a risk of haze pollution, and allow arrests in Singapore and trials in absentia. The Leadsman

Around it

Research at Singapore Management University found that ultimate ownership could not be traced for 80 per cent of roughly 2,400 Indonesian concessions examined, which accounted for 75 per cent of this year's fires. BriefAsia Most bank credit to groups connected with fire-affected concessions flows to parent companies rather than subsidiaries, and whether designation orders will reach parents remains unclear until the powers are first used. BriefAsia The 2026 haze season produced Pollutant Standards Index readings above 200 for extended periods in October, the most severe episode since 2015. The Leadsman Air quality had improved to moderate levels by 5 November, and the government has begun ceasing haze mitigation measures. Singapore Business Review

What comes next

The Ministry of Health will deactivate the Haze Subsidy Scheme and Public Health Preparedness Clinic Scheme from 12 November. Singapore Business Review The inter-agency Haze Task Force will be stood down, the National Environment Agency said. Singapore Business Review

Sources

  1. BriefAsiaSingapore's Haze Law Grants Financial Sanctions Without Trial
  2. The LeadsmanThe Long Arm of Singapore: Parliament's Haze Law Amendment Makes Supply Chains Responsible for Fires That Start Abroad
  3. Singapore Business ReviewGov’t to deactivate haze subsidy scheme from 12 November

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