CRIMINAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CORPORATE CONVICTS IN SPATIAL PLANNING CRIME: THE CONCEPT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP (BO)

Abstract

The aim of the research is to learn more about the concept of beneficial ownership (BO) as an approach for criminal liability in lieu of spatial planning crimes for corporations that lack assets or corporations that can only pay a portion of the crime. Several regions of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia have experienced widespread violations of spatial planning, according to some experts, as a result of substantive weaknesses, including the UUPR’s criminal sanction system’s philosophical, theoretical, and legal flaws, particularly its criminal sanctions for corporations. Theoretically, several theories of corporate criminal responsibility have not been able to reach corporate convicts in spatial planning crimes. The research method uses normative juridical methods. This research method is a legal research method that bases its analysis on applicable laws and regulations that are relevant to the research topic. The results of the study show that the UUPR on corporate criminal sanctions is incomplete, and the formulation of the norms does not address substitute punishment for corporate criminals who lack assets or who can only afford a part of their sentence. The UUPR’s corporate criminal sanctions were not functional as a result of the incompleteness of the norms’ formulation, preventing the achievement of the law’s goals. The term “beneficial ownership” (BO) refers to natural persons who ultimately own or control (ultimately owns or controls) clients and/or people whose transactions are executed on their behalf. The BO concept and regulations regarding BO transparency indicate that it can be used as an approach to reach alternative criminal liability for corporations. In terms of philosophy, the BO concept is consistent with the goal of criminal punishment for corporations; specifically, by imprisoning the actual beneficiary, the payment of the penalty can be used to return the space’s damage to its original state, or at the very least, it can have a deterrent effect on those who use the space in an improper manner. So, for the Ius constituendum it is proposed to formulate criminal norms in lieu of fines for corporations by expanding accountability through the beneficial ownership (BO) concept approach.

Keywords

• vicarious liability
• beneficial ownership
• corporate