THE ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC MOTIVES IN CORRUPTION WITHIN THE INVESTIGATION OF CORRUPTION CRIMES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol14no2.1561Keywords:
Investigative corruption, corruption, economic motives, crimesAbstract
Over the past five years, corruption cases in Indonesia have shown an alarming upward trend, including corruption that occurs during investigations of corruption cases by law enforcement officials themselves. This phenomenon undermines the integrity of the criminal justice system and erodes public trust in anti-corruption institutions. Although research on corruption has been conducted extensively, attention paid to corruption embedded within the investigative process and the economic motives underlying such practices remains limited. This study aims to analyze the economic motives driving corruption during corruption investigations in Lampung Province, Indonesia. A socio-legal approach is used to examine the interactions between legal norms, institutional practices, and social dynamics that facilitate corruption within the investigative process. The analysis focuses on three corruption cases in Pesawaran Regency and North Lampung Regency involving the embezzlement of funds from the Health Operations Agency (BOK), Technical Guidance for Village Heads (Bimtek), and the School Operations Agency (BOS). The research findings indicate that corruption during the investigation phase is characterized by bribery and extortion, which influence investigators’ decision-making, leading to the unfair identification of suspects and legal discrimination. This study provides relevant empirical evidence for countries facing similar challenges in judicial governance and integrity and highlights the importance of reforming investigative agencies, strengthening institutional oversight, establishing independent accountability mechanisms, and implementing transparent investigative procedures. This study also contributes to the global anti-corruption literature by expanding the analysis of corruption beyond public administration and political institutions to include corruption within law enforcement agencies responsible for combating corruption. These measures are crucial for enhancing the credibility and effectiveness of anti-corruption systems and for supporting the development of more accountable and resilient judicial institutions worldwide.
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