The Blind Spot: Failure to Marry the Doctrine of Vicarious Liability with the Financial Recourse Mechanism of Officials
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15575/hanifiya.v9i2.57449Keywords:
constitutional policing, legal recourse, operational discretion, personal faults, personal financial liabilityAbstract
This study exposes a structural blind spot in Indonesia’s constitutional and administrative law: the failure to enforce individual accountability against law enforcement officers who abuse operational discretion. It focuses on the lack of synchronization between state vicarious liability and personal financial recourse mechanisms targeting officials’ private assets. Using doctrinal legal research with statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches, the study analyzes inconsistencies in the 1945 Constitution, Administrative Government Law, Administrative Court Law, internal ethics enforcement, and judicial precedents on factual government actions. Findings reveal a chronic procedural vacuum in executing the state’s right of recourse against officials acting with malice or gross negligence. Ambiguity in distinguishing official from personal faults has turned the state budget into a shield for individual repression, undermining institutional legitimacy and violating the social contract with taxpayers. Key obstacles include rigid procedural barriers, the failure to separate official from personal assets, and an institutional culture that conceals abuses through opaque disciplinary processes. The study proposes a procedural blueprint featuring cumulative objective–subjective lawsuits, a shifted burden of proof, conservatoire beslag (asset freezing), punitive damages, automated wage garnishment, and strict pre-trial screening to prevent frivolous or SLAPP litigation.
References
Achmad Aulia, A. (2025). Disruption in Corruption Eradication in Indonesia. Public Integrity, 27(6), 736–757. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999922.2025.2455757
Adebayo, T. S., Bekun, F. V., Rjoub, H., Agboola, M. O., Agyekum, E. B., & Gyamfi, B. A. (2023). Another look at the nexus between economic growth trajectory and emission within the context of developing country: fresh insights from a nonparametric causality-in-quantiles test. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 25(10), 11397–11419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02533-x
Ahmad, A. (2025). Analysis of Abuse of Authority by Government Apparatus in the State Administrative Legal System. International Journal of Constitutional and Administrative Law, 1(1), 69–83. https://doi.org/10.66502/v2wdah74
Ahmad, N., bin Asmad, A., & Ariffin, D. I. (2024). The Role of Treaties in Islamic and Modern International Law: A Comparative Analysis. Manchester Journal of International Economic Law, 1.
Alfarouq, H. M. (2026). The Disharmony Between Police Discretion And The Right To Demonstrate: A Socio-Legal Deconstruction And Humanitarian Critique. Asian Journal of Law and Humanity, 3(1), 45–62.
Anwar, K., & Sutedi, A. (2026). Sinkronisasi Tata Kelola Regulasi Vertikal: Menjaga Kepatuhan Hukum Sektoral Terhadap Hukum Konstitusi. Jurnal Hukum Ketatanegaraan Republik Indonesia, 14(1), 15–38.
Arifin, Z., & Wibowo, A. (2025). Procedural Vacuum in Personal Recourse Mechanisms: A Legal Loophole in Indonesian Administrative Law. Indonesian Journal of Administrative Law, 11(2), 142–165.
Azam, R. M. U., Rahman, A., Abdullah, I., & Rashed, K. T. (2026). Beyond the horizon of finality: Integrating indigenous relationality, chronobiological rhythms, and complexity theory into a multi-scalar legal framework. Time & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X261435057
Baehr, J., & Møller, C. (2025a). General Principles of Good Governance as Constitutional Limits on Police Discretionary Powers. European Journal of Legal Studies, 17(1), 89–115.
Baehr, J., & Møller, S. (2025b). Operational Discretion vs. Constitutional Rights: A Comparative Study of Law Enforcement Boundaries in Europe. International Journal of Constitutional Law, 23(1), 89–112. https://doi.org/10.1093/icon/moae012
Baig, K., Kiran, I., & Ahamad, W. (2022). The Implementation of Non-Derogable rights under the ICCPR in the context of the defined role of the Treaty bodies. Review of Education, Administration & Law, 5(4), 657–664. https://doi.org/10.47067/real.v5i4.296
Boukalas, C. (2022). Biosecurity, Economic Collapse, the State to Come. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003302988
Dahlan, A., & Siregar, I. (2025). Menguji Frasa “Situasi Darurat” dalam Diskresi Lapangan Melalui Uji Proporsionalitas Stricto Sensu. Jurnal Peradilan Dan Hukum Tata Negara, 7(4), 310–335.
Dzul Ikram, M., Satria Putra, M., & Latif, A. (2025). Dynamics of Administrative Law, Financial Law, and Government Accountability. Journal of Social Research, 4(4), 715–725. https://doi.org/10.55324/josr.v4i4.2509
Fadillah, N., & Nugraha, A. (2025). Shifting the Paradigm: From State-Centered to Human-Centric Regulatory Frameworks in Security Sector Reform. Indonesian Journal of Legal Studies, 10(2), 145–168. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijls.v10i2.2025
Fauzi, A., Ginting, R., & Siregar, D. (2025). Relasi Kuasa Asimetris dan Penerapan Diskresi Diskriminatif Terhadap Kelompok Marjinal. Jurnal Sosiologi Hukum Universitas Indonesia, 11(1), 12–35.
Gautama, tatan, Wijaya, A., & Siregar, M. (2026). Codification of Rules of Engagement into Formal Statutory Law: A Constitutional Mandate. Constitutional Law Research Review, 5(1), 89–112.
Goldsmith, A., & Harris, V. (2024). Governance of Security and the Rule of Law: Democratic Oversight of Law Enforcement Agencies. The British Journal of Criminology, 64(4), 812–830. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azad045
Haddad, T., & Al-Fayed, K. (2025). Esprit de Corps and the Accountability Vacuum in Internal Police Accountability Mechanisms. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 27(3), 202–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461355725123
Hafidz, J., & Harahap, M. H. K. (2025). Reconceptualizing Inheritance Law in Indonesia’s Islamic Compilation (KHI): A Normative Reassessment Through the Lens of Ibn Mas‘ud’s Jurisprudence. Sakina: Journal of Family Studies, 9(3), 272–292. https://doi.org/10.18860/jfs.v9i3.16043
Hallsworth, S., & Stephenson, S. (2022). Zones of Entrapment and Impunity: On the Constitution of Vague and Strange Regimes of Power. Critical Criminology, 30(3), 665–678. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10612-022-09641-0
Hanjaya, S., & Lestari, I. (2025). Asset Freezing and Conservatoir Beslag on Personal Wealth of Maladministrating Officials. Journal of Private and Administrative Law Integration, 7(3), 210–234.
Hidayat, S., & Kurniawan, D. (2024). Hukum Sebagai Perisai: Standardisasi Parameter Konstitusional Demi Pemulihan Keadilan Sosial. Mimbar Hukum, 36(3), 401–425.
Ilham, M., Baskoro, G., & Pratama, Y. (2026). Demokratisasi Lembaga Pengawas Internal Melalui Pelibatan Komisi Negara Independen. Jurnal Tata Negara Uninus, 12(1), 55–74.
Kurniawan, I., & Santoso, B. (2025). Real-Time Digital Reporting Systems: Automating Transparency in Administrative Discretionary Actions. Journal of Law and Digital Technology, 7(2), 118–139.
Kurniawan, K. D., & Hapsari, D. R. I. (2022). Pertanggungjawaban pidana korporasi menurut vicarious liability theory. Jurnal Hukum Ius Quia Iustum, 29(2), 324–346.
Kusuma, D., Baskoro, G., & Utomo, T. (2026). The Impunity Wall: Institutional Barriers in Executing Judicial Awards Against State Apparatchiks. Jurnal Peradilan Tata Negara, 14(1), 45–69.
Lubis, taufik, Ramadhan, G., & Saputra, A. (2026). External Oversight Integration: Connecting Law Enforcement Databases with National Human Rights Institutions. Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights, 10(1), 60–83. https://doi.org/10.19184/jseahr.v10i1.2026
Mahardika, R., & Wijaya, H. (2025). Punitive Damages in Constitutional Torts: Internalizing the Costs of Repression. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 10(1), 112–135.
Marune, A. E. M. S. (2021). Criminal Liability of Indonesia’s State-Owned Enterprise Directors for Acts That Cause State Financial Losses. Interdisciplinary Social Studies, 1(2), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.55324/iss.v1i2.25
Marzuki, S., & Utama, D. (2026). The “Necessity in a Democratic Society” Clause as a Constitutional Restriction on Executive Actions. Padjadjaran Journal of Law, 13(2), 220–241.
McAleer, G. J. (2025). Security Ethics: Commerce and Crime in a Polycentric World. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85585-6
Mustofa, A., & Wijayanti, R. (2025). Konsep Tanggung Jawab Mutlak Negara (State Liability) Atas Penyalahgunaan Diskresi Aparat. Mimbar Hukum, 37(2), 250–273.
Nasution, A., Ginting, R., & Siregar, D. (2026). Penerapan Klausul Recourse Finansial Terhadap Oknum Aparat Sebagai Insentif Negatif Maladministrasi. Jurnal Peradilan Dan Hukum Administrasi, 8(1), 12–36.
Nollkaemper, A., & Hoffmann, J. (2025). Responsibility to Protect. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003702931
Novelli, C., Casolari, F., Rotolo, A., Taddeo, M., & Floridi, L. (2024). AI Risk Assessment: A Scenario-Based, Proportional Methodology for the AI Act. Digital Society, 3(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-024-00095-1
Nugroho, S., & Prasetyo, E. (2025). Ambivalensi Aturan Pelibatan (Rules of Engagement) dalam Pengamanan Konflik Agraria Kontemporer. Jurnal HAM, 16(2), 143–162.
Obibuaku, U. L., & Edeji, O. C. (2024). Fostering Socio-Economic Rights and Human Dignity Through Collaborative Partnerships: The Role of Civil Society Organisations. African Journal of International and Comparative Law, 32(2), 185–216. https://doi.org/10.3366/ajicl.2024.0482
Oetomo, B., & Wibowo, A. (2025). Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto: Reorientasi Pendidikan Sektor Keamanan Berbasis Konstitusionalisme Demokratis. Jurnal Pendidikan Hukum Tata Negara, 9(3), 189–214.
Pangaribuan, A. (2025). Indonesia’s Criminal Justice System: A Case Study of Inter-Agency Conflict and the Fight for Power. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 12(4), 600–626. https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2025.10018
Panggabean, P., & Siregar, I. (2026). Internalizing Proportionality Tests into Frontline Law Enforcement Officer Training Curriculums. Journal of Police Studies and Constitutional Law, 4(2), 140–165.
Praditya, D., Ramadhan, G., & Saputra, A. (2026). Wage Garnishment in Public Sector Liability: Automated Enforcement Frameworks. Jurnal Akuntabilitas Publik Dan Hukum Administrasi, 11(1), 88–110.
Pratama, R. A., & Ramadhan, M. F. (2025). Abuse of Competence and Discretionary Power under Administrative Law Principles. Indonesia Law Review, 15(1), 34–51. https://doi.org/10.15742/ilrev.v15n1.981
Putra, A., Pratama, Y., & Baskoro, G. (2026). Shifting the Paradigm: From Militaristic Command Culture to Constitutional Policing. Journal of Police Studies and Constitutional Law, 4(1), 88–109.
Qodir, Z., & Pratama, R. (2025). Kriminalisasi Balik dan Hambatan Sosiologis Komplain Publik Terhadap Penyalahgunaan Diskresi. Jurnal Sosiologi Hukum Universitas Indonesia, 11(2), 115–138.
Raharjo, A., Utomo, T., & Wijaya, H. (2026). Independent Police Complaints Commission as an Instrument for Taming Executive Arrogance. Padjadjaran Journal of Law, 13(3), 301–326.
Ramadhan, G., & Saputra, A. (2025). Mekanisme Post-Action Accountability Report Sebagi Instrumen Transparansi Tindakan Diskresioner. Jurnal Akuntabilitas Publik Dan Hukum Administrasi, 10(2), 167–188.
Reksodiputro, M., & Hamzah, A. (2025). Kelemahan Struktural Instrumen Hukum Internal dalam Pengawasan Otoritas Administrasi Negara. Jurnal Hukum Dan Administrasi Negara, 31(1), 45–67.
Saraswati, D., & Utama, D. (2025). Frivolous Lawsuits and Pre-Trial Screening Mechanisms in Administrative Disputes. Padjadjaran Journal of Law, 12(4), 320–345.
Setiawan, B. (2026). Mengundang Audiens dalam Perluasan Cakrawala. Penerbit Ilmu.
Siolimbona, M. R., Mau, H. A., & Suasoongnern, S. (2026). Legislation and the Constitutional Court: Reconciling Constitutional Justice and Democratic Accountability in Comparative Constitutional Law. PENA LAW: International Journal of Law, 4(1), 12–29. https://doi.org/10.56107/penalaw
Suharto, H. (2025). Harmonizing National Security Doctrines with Democratic Constitutionalism: A Regulatory Framework. Journal of Malaysian and Comparative Law, 52(1), 55–78.
Tanjung, A., & Rahman, M. F. (2026). Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) in Law Enforcement Accountability. Jurnal Tata Negara Uninus, 12(2), 101–125.
Wayan Sepi Wahyuni, N., Risma Yanti, P., Eka Putra, I. G., Komang Ayu Sari Emben, N., Komang Yasoda Syosti Sara, N., Nelson Tonda Sawu, A., Agnes Dewi Anantasya, Y., Komang Apriani, N., & Made Dwi Yulia Putri, N. (2025). Revitalizing Hindu Values in the Nyepi Tradition: A Strategy for Cultural and Spiritual Resilience Amidst the Global Crisis. SHS Web of Conferences, 221, 02007. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202522102007
Wicaksono, G. (2026). The Proportionality Principle in Constitutional Review of Law enforcement Authority. Constitutional Review, 12(1), 76–103. https://doi.org/10.31078/consrev1213
Wulandari, S., & Santoso, B. (2026). Access to Justice and Financial Recovery for Victims of Law Enforcement Brutality. Journal of Law and Social Justice, 8(1), 74–98.
Yusuf, M., & Wijaya, H. (2024). Breaking the Impunity Wall: Judicial Reviewability of Police Discretionary Actions. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 9(2), 185–210.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Asep Sapsudin, Reyraya Respati Paramudhita
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC-BY-SA)  that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
