The Accountability Gap in Prosecutorial Supervision: Legal and Institutional Challenges in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68211/nomosethica.v1i1.18Keywords:
Prosecutorial Supervision, Accountability Gap, Prosecutorial Ethics, Institutional Accountability, Transparency, Criminal Justice System, Legal Governance, Rule of Law, Ethical OversightAbstract
This study examines the accountability gap in prosecutorial supervision within Indonesia’s criminal justice system by analyzing the legal and institutional framework governing prosecutorial ethics, transparency, and accountability. Prosecutors occupy a strategic position in law enforcement because they possess broad discretionary authority in determining prosecutions, representing state interests, and enforcing criminal law. Consequently, effective supervisory mechanisms are essential to ensure that prosecutorial authority is exercised ethically, transparently, and consistently with the rule of law. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of existing prosecutorial supervisory mechanisms in ensuring institutional accountability and ethical governance in Indonesia. The study employs a normative legal research method combined with a qualitative analytical approach using statutory, conceptual, and doctrinal analyses. Primary legal materials include laws regulating the Prosecutor’s Office, prosecutorial ethics, and supervisory institutions, while secondary materials consist of scholarly literature, institutional reports, and legal studies concerning prosecutorial accountability and governance. The findings reveal that Indonesia’s prosecutorial supervisory system operates through a centralized and hierarchical institutional structure supported by both internal and external oversight mechanisms. However, the implementation of prosecutorial supervision remains constrained by structural and institutional weaknesses, including concentration of supervisory authority, limited independence of external oversight bodies, fragmented institutional coordination, inconsistent disciplinary enforcement, and insufficient transparency in handling ethical violations. Furthermore, broad prosecutorial discretion without adequate accountability mechanisms creates risks of abuse of power, selective prosecution, and ethical misconduct. The study identifies a significant accountability gap between normative legal provisions and practical implementation within prosecutorial supervision. Therefore, this research argues that strengthening prosecutorial accountability requires comprehensive legal and institutional reform aimed at enhancing supervisory independence, improving transparency, strengthening inter-institutional coordination, and ensuring consistent ethical enforcement. Such reforms are essential for reinforcing institutional integrity, public trust, democratic governance, and the rule of law within Indonesia’s criminal justice system.
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