Publication Search

The abuse of authority by public officials within Indonesia’s governmental administration has become an increasingly urgent issue to address. Such misconduct undermines the fundamental principles of good governance  including transparency, accountability, and justice which are essential for ensuring efficient and effective government operations. This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the forms of abuse of authority by public officials, the factors influencing such behavior, and its impact on the effectiveness of governance and public trust. The research employs a normative approach with a prescriptive legal method, analyzing legislation related to the abuse of authority as well as a case-based approach to explore the implementation of authority by public officials in governmental practice.The findings indicate that abuse of authority may occur in various forms, such as exceeding the limits of granted power, conflating different authorities, or acting arbitrarily for personal or group interests  all of which contradict the principle of legality governing governmental actions. Moreover, such practices negatively affect the quality of public services and tarnish the image of governmental institutions. The study also finds that although Law No. 30 of 2014 on Government Administration provides a clear legal framework, its implementation remains hindered by weak internal and external oversight systems. Therefore, this research recommends strengthening more effective supervision mechanisms, enhancing transparency in administrative decision-making processes, and involving the public in monitoring efforts to ensure that public officials exercise their authority in accordance with established objectives in pursuit of a clean and just government.

This study, entitled "Value Added Tax Fairness in Samarinda City," analyzes the fairness of the 11% VAT rate under Law No. 7 of 2021 using socio-legal methods. The results show that although the single 11% VAT rate meets the principles of legality and horizontal justice because it applies equally to all consumers, this policy is not entirely fair from a vertical justice perspective. The regressive nature of the consumption tax tends to place a greater burden on low-income households. Field findings reveal that MSMEs feel burdened because the rate does not take into account their economic capacity, coupled with a lack of understanding of the input and output tax credit mechanisms. Administrative complexity and minimal education from tax authorities contribute to low compliance rates. This study recommends the implementation of a more flexible tiered VAT rate, strengthening tax education, providing technical assistance, and simplifying reporting for MSMEs to improve compliance and create more equitable tax justice.  

The reform of Indonesia’s criminal law through Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code (KUHP) marks a fundamental shift in the national criminal justice system, particularly through the formal recognition of the living law as law that lives within society. This article analyzes the correlation between living law and the principle of legality within the context of national criminal law reform. The study employs a normative juridical method with statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches to examine how the 2023 Criminal Code seeks to balance legal certainty with substantive justice. The findings indicate that the regulation of the principle of legality in Article 1 of the KUHP remains the primary foundation for ensuring the protection of individual rights and preventing arbitrary state actions. However, the recognition of living law under Article 2 of the KUHP expands the sources of criminal law beyond written statutes to include social values living within the community, insofar as they are consistent with Pancasila, general legal principles, and human rights. The relationship between the principle of legality and living law in the 2023 KUHP is not antagonistic but rather complementary and harmonious. Living law enriches the legality principle substantively through moral and social justice dimensions, while the legality principle serves as a normative safeguard to maintain legal certainty and prevent the abuse of power. Therefore, the integration of both principles reflects a new paradigm of Indonesian criminal law that is pluralistic, just, and civilized, reaffirming the nation’s legal politics grounded in Pancasila values and the principles of a democratic rule of law.

This study analyzes the juridical issues related to the implementation of criminal sanctions below the statutory minimum, as reflected in Cassation Decision Number 7853/K/Pid.Sus/2024. The focus of this research centers on the tension between the rigid provisions of Article 111 paragraph (1) of Law No. 35 of 2009 concerning narcotics and the reality of judicial practice, which often deviates from these provisions. This phenomenon raises debates regarding the extent to which the principle of legality can be compromised in pursuit of justice without undermining the pillar of legal certainty within Indonesia’s criminal justice system. Using a normative legal research method with a statutory and case study approach, this study qualitatively analyzes judges’ considerations. The findings indicate that, although the policy of imposing sentences below the minimum carries the risk of creating legal uncertainty, the Supreme Court in this case reinterpreted the principle of legality. Judges tend to prioritize proportionality and substantive justice to avoid purely mechanical punishment. The study concludes that, while judicial discretion represents a concrete expression of judicial independence, such practice requires clearer normative parameters. Without explicit regulation, deviations from the statutory minimum risk widening disparities in judicial decisions. Therefore, standardized sentencing guidelines are necessary to preserve legal integrity while maintaining a sense of justice for defendants.

This study aims to examine the judge's considerations in rendering decisions in aggravated theft cases at the Medan District Court, with an emphasis on the balance between legal and non-legal aspects in realizing substantive justice. The issue of disparate sentencing that frequently arises is the main background of this study. The methods used are an integrated normative legal approach and an empirical legal approach. The normative approach is used to examine the provisions of Article 363 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) and the legal principles that govern the judge's considerations, while the empirical approach is carried out through direct observation of the trial process and analysis of the judge's decision. The results of the study indicate that the judge in case Number 1110/Pid. B/2025/PN Medan not only complied with legal aspects such as fulfilling the elements of the crime, evidence, and the application of the principle of legality, but also considered non-legal aspects such as the socio-economic conditions, age, and motives of the defendant. These considerations demonstrate the application of the principles of criminal individualization and proportional justice. In addition, the judge also considered moral values ​​and social benefits in his decision, which is in line with Gustav Radbruch's theory of three basic legal values: justice, legal certainty, and utility. This study concludes that the thinking patterns of judges at the Medan District Court reflect a shift toward substantive and restorative justice paradigms. It is recommended that the Supreme Court strengthen integrated sentencing guidelines to avoid disparities in sentencing and encourage the adoption of a rehabilitative approach for offenders with low economic motivations.

The background of this research aims to determine and analyze judges' perspectives on the application of customary law in resolving criminal cases at the Padangsidimpuan District Court. Customary law is an unwritten legal system that exists and develops within society and is often used as a consideration in deciding cases related to local values ​​and cultural wisdom. In the context of Padangsidimpuan society, which still strongly upholds customs and traditions, customary law often serves as a means of resolving social conflicts before they enter the formal legal realm. The research method used is empirical juridical, with data collection techniques through direct interviews with judges and document studies of several relevant court decisions. The results indicate that most judges at the Padangsidimpuan District Court view customary law as a complementary instrument to positive law, particularly in minor criminal cases with social and familial dimensions. Judges strive to consider customary values ​​to achieve substantive justice, without neglecting the principle of legality and statutory provisions. However, the application of customary law cannot replace positive law in its entirety; rather, it serves as a moral and social value that strengthens the community's sense of justice.

This study aims to analyze the factors causing the differences in legal treatment and their implications on the principles of equality before the law, legal certainty, and the principle of legality. The method used is empirical legal research with a juridical-sociological approach. This study involves case studies, interviews with law enforcement officers and victim advocates, as well as an analysis of regulations and court decisions. The results indicate that the differences in legal treatment are caused by the application of subjective detention requirements in the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP), law enforcement discretion, differing legal interpretations between prosecutors and judges, the quality of legal assistance for defendants, and social pressures and societal dynamics. The impact of these differences is the failure to achieve substantive justice, weakening legal certainty, and declining public trust in the criminal justice system. This research has significant academic urgency as it contributes to the development of the enforcement of laws regarding Human Trafficking (TPPO), emphasizing the need for consistency, transparency, and the protection of victims' rights in the application of criminal law.

This research is motivated by the importance of business licensing in the trade of goods and services sector as an instrument of legality, supervision, and legal protection; however, its implementation still faces gaps between normative regulations and practices in the field. The purpose of this study is to analyze the level of business actors’ compliance with licensing obligations, identify obstacles in the implementation of risk-based licensing policies, and evaluate their impact on compliance. The method used is library research with a normative juridical approach, through an examination of primary legal materials in the form of laws and related regulations, as well as secondary and tertiary legal materials from scientific literature. The results show that the effectiveness of risk-based licensing policies has not been optimally achieved due to low legal literacy, limited digital understanding, and the perception that licenses are merely a formality, causing many business actors to neglect administrative obligations. This condition illustrates the existence of a gap between regulatory objectives and implementation practices. These findings emphasize the need for procedural simplification, intensified socialization, and strengthened technical assistance so that licensing policies become more responsive to the needs of business actors, while simultaneously encouraging compliance and enhancing national economic competitiveness.

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has become a dominant trend in modern buying and selling transactions, offering easy access and efficiency. Marketplaces like Shopee act as intermediaries between merchants and buyers, providing fast, secure, and integrated transaction facilities. However, behind this convenience, significant legal issues arise, particularly regarding unilateral transaction cancellations by buyers through the refund feature. In practice, these refund requests are generally approved by the marketplace without thorough verification of the validity of the cancellation reason or the existence of the goods already shipped by the merchant. This study aims to analyze the legality of unilateral cancellations by buyers from the perspective of Indonesian civil law, with reference to the provisions of the Civil Code (KUHPerdata) and the concept of electronic contracts as stipulated in the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE). The study uses a normative juridical approach by examining laws and regulations, legal literature, and analyzing two case studies involving merchants BZS and HK. The results indicate that unilateral cancellations by buyers without returning the goods constitute a form of breach of contract. This action not only violates the electronic contractual agreement established during the transaction but also causes financial and reputational harm to merchants. This phenomenon indicates weak legal protection for business actors in the e-commerce ecosystem, particularly regarding the bargaining power between sellers, buyers, and marketplace platforms. Therefore, strengthening fair and transparent digital dispute resolution mechanisms is necessary, including preventive legal protection to prevent losses and repressive protection to provide redress for injured parties. This step is crucial for realizing a healthy, balanced, and equitable digital trade ecosystem for all parties involved.

The imposition of criminal penalties must be based on careful legal consideration and in accordance with the principle of Negatief Wettelijk, which is enshrined in the Indonesian Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP). This principle requires that judges may only impose criminal penalties if there are at least two valid pieces of evidence that can fully explain the occurrence of the criminal act and the involvement of the defendant. In the case of the murder of Wayan Mirna Salihin, Jesica Kumala Wongso was designated as a suspect and sentenced by the prosecutor and judge. However, this designation sparked controversy because it did not meet the requirement of two valid pieces of evidence as stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Code. The decision against Jesica was deemed not to be based on complete and objective evidence, and therefore could be considered legally flawed when viewed from the principle of Negatief Wettelijk. Therefore, it is important for the criminal justice system to uphold the principles of legality and caution when rendering decisions.

The acceleration of globalization and advances in information technology have brought about significant changes in the economic field. In this context, collaboration between individuals is a key element in forming business groups that aim to achieve economic benefits. These business groups can take the form of informal businesses that do not yet have legality, as well as legal entities known as corporations. When individuals join a corporation, this also strengthens the corporation's position as a legal subject in economic activities. A legal subject (subject tumjuris) is an entity that can have and exercise rights and obligations. This situation can trigger abuse of power by corporations against the public interest, which is then known as corporate crime. Such crimes are usually committed for the sake of the company's business interests and fall into the category of white collar. crime. One form of corporate crime that is rampant is the violation of the economic rights of creators and copyright owners

This study analyzes the legal aspects in the application of the e-voting system in the election of village heads as a form of technological innovation in voting. With a normative legal approach, this research is based on relevant laws and regulations, including Law Number 6 of 2014 concerning Villages and its amendments in Law Number 3 of 2024. The results of the study show that the e-voting regulation is not explicitly contained in the law, but gives authority to local governments to design village head election policies, which is strengthened by the Constitutional Court Decision Number 147/PUU-VII/2009. In addition, the e-voting mechanism meets the principle of legality in the elections, emphasizes the principle of luberjurdil, and is in line with democratic values. The conclusion of this study emphasizes that the implementation of the election with the e-voting method can be applied by paying attention to the legal standards and cumulative requirements that have been set.

The principle of legality is a legal principle that states that every act may only be subject to sanctions if it has been stipulated in the legislation before the criminal act is committed. The research aims to analyze the necessity of a law before a criminal event occurs; analyze the assessment of an act that is not analogous; analyze the need for the principle of legality to protect individuals from arbitrary actions by judicial officers. The research method is the normative legal method, by adopting conventions, legislation, law books, journals, articles, the internet. Furthermore, comprehensively reviewing the literature so that maximum results are obtained. The results of the research, law enforcement that is fair, pure and consistent is still difficult to achieve considering that many officers still do not fully understand the meaning of the principle of legality so that they often make mistakes in considering imposing criminal sanctions, and often their decisions exceed their authority. Human rights are inherent rights in individuals, so individuals should get their rights. Protection of individual rights is mandated in the 1945 Constitution Article 28G paragraph (1) Article 28H paragraph (1). Legal certainty is a vital element in building an honest and fair legal strategy. It is expected that when laws are created, they should be in accordance with a systematic, democratic mechanism based on empirical observation results, so that errors in the application of the law can be minimized. Thus, all people get legal certainty where their rights are protected and maintained, on the other hand, each individual is aware not to do prohibited acts because every action has logical and firm consequences.  

The problem of the legality of the agreement of the deed of debt and credit agreement into buying and selling requires legal certainty so that no one is harmed. Normative legal certainty is when a regulation is made and promulgated with certainty because it regulates clearly and logically. Clear in the sense that it does not cause doubt (multi-interpretation) and logical in the sense that it becomes a system of norms with other norms so that it does not clash or cause norm conflicts. Norm conflict arising from rule uncertainty can take the form of norm contestation, norm reduction or norm distortion. This research approach is descriptive analytical which describes legal events that occur as they are and conveys these conditions according to theory and legislation. The research method used in the research is empirical juridical which analyzes the Bandung District Court Decision Number: 162/PDT.G/2021/PN.BDG regarding the Legality of the Deed of Sale and Purchase Agreement as Collateral for Debt and Credit Due to Legal Defects. The results of this study show that; AJB, which should be a proof of transfer of land rights in a real sale and purchase transaction, in this case is used to guarantee debt repayment. This is a deviation from the function of the AJB, which is legally unjustified because it contradicts the principle of halal causa (Articles 1335 and 1337 of the Civil Code). Therefore, the AJB made does not meet the elements of a valid causa, and therefore can be canceled or even null and void.

The principle of legality is one of the main principles adopted by criminal law. Indonesia has incorporated the principle of legality into the first article of the Criminal Code, which carries the consequence that the imposition of criminal penalties must first be regulated in written law. The reform of criminal law through the New Criminal Code continues to apply the principle of legality in Article 1 and also adds recognition to the laws existing in society that are generally unwritten. The recognition of unwritten laws in the New Criminal Code does not mean shifting the principle of legality and applying the law arbitrarily, but rather a form of realization of the principle of legality in accordance with the characteristics of Indonesian society. The New Criminal Code has provided limits on the application of unwritten laws existing in society, namely if the Criminal Code does not regulate the punishment and must be in accordance with Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, human rights, and general legal principles recognized by the community of nations.

The research was conducted for the sole purpose of knowing the legality of establishing a foundation as a legal entity operating in the social, religious, and humanitarian fields, in this case the foundation was founded by foreigners. This research uses a method with normative research in addition to legislation is used as an approach, in addition to facts and conceptual analysis used as an approach in this research method. The results of the study indicate that the legali ty of the establishment of a foundation by foreigners in Indonesia has now been determined in Law Number 28 of 2004 concerning Amendments to Law Number 16 of 2001 concerning Foundations where foreigners in this context have more opportunities to set up a foundation. Regulations on foreign foundations are related to their establishment which are further emphasized in Government Regulation Number 63 of 2008 concerning the Implementation of the Law on Foundations as an implementing regulation that provides legal certainty to foreigners in establishing a foundation. as well as the nation, and the State of Indonesia.

The purpose of the study is to determine and analyze the criminal law protection of embezzlement of assets (Boedel Bankruptcy) of debtors that result in losses to creditors, and obstacles to criminal law enforcement for embezzlement of debtors' assets that result in the formulation of the problem What is the position of criminal law Embezzlement of debtors on their assets that causes creditor losses and how to overcome them. The method used in this study uses the Normative juridical approach method, the data sources are secondary data and primary legal materials.  Research Results (1).  Legal protection of the criminal act of embezzlement of the debtor that causes losses to the debtor, after being declared bankrupt by a judge is a criminal act of embezzlement regulated by Article 372 of the Criminal Code and Article 400 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code, because the fulfillment of the criminal elements is fulfilled. (2). Obstacles faced, Uncooperation of the insolvent debtor in carrying out legal proceedings due to the lack of level of legal awareness possessed by the insolvent debtor. To overcome this, the bankrupt debtor should comply with the contents of the decision of the Supreme Court case Number 2K / Pdt.Sus-Pailit / 2019 willing to submit the legality of access to the curator team that will resolve, and as a good Indonesian citizen must obey, submit, and obey the laws and laws in force in Indonesia.