Reconfiguring State Attorney Budget to Optimize Law Enforcement: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic Period

This paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the budgetary framework of the State Attorney of the Republic of Indonesia and explores strategies to optimise law enforcement through diversified funding sources. The pandemic-induced fiscal tightening—manifested in budget refocusing, reallocation, and automatic adjustment policies—exposed the vulnerability of relying solely on the State Budge. This study employs a qualitative legal research method, combining normative juridical analysis with comparative institutional review, to investigate how other law enforcement bodies such as the Indonesian National Police, the National Narcotics Agency, and the Supreme Court have leveraged alternative funding sources, particularly grants, supported by strong internal regulations. The findings reveal that the State Attorney’s dependence on the State Budge, which is subject to annual limitations and high risk of budget cuts, hinders the optimal fulfilment of its expanded duties under the amended Prosecutor’s Law. Comparative analysis shows that other institutions have established legal frameworks to accept various forms of grants—ranging from goods and services to cash and securities—thereby ensuring professional, transparent, and accountable management. The analysis indicates that adopting similar regulatory and strategic planning measures could strengthen the State Attorney’s operational capacity. The study recommends that grants and other alternative financing mechanisms be formally integrated into the State Attorney’s strategic planning and work programs. Establishing comprehensive internal regulations should cover principles for accepting and managing grants, permissible types and forms, sources and uses, reporting and supervision procedures, and cooperation frameworks with donors. These steps will not only enhance resilience against fiscal tightening but also enable the State Attorney to sustain and expand its law enforcement functions in the post-pandemic era.