Notary's Responsibility in Preventing Money Laundering Criminal Acts Regarding Registration of Suspicious Financial Transactions (TKM)

Abstract

Abstract. Money laundering is a transnational crime that has serious impacts on economic stability and the integrity of the legal system. One important strategy in preventing it is the involvement of the legal profession, including notaries, in reporting Suspicious Financial Transactions (SFT). Notaries, as public officials who have the authority to make authentic deeds, are in a strategic position to detect and prevent the misuse of legal transactions as a means of money laundering. This study aims to analyze national and international legal regulations regarding the obligations and responsibilities of notaries, evaluate the forms of legal responsibility of notaries according to Law Number 8 of 2010 and the Law on Notary Public Positions, and assess the effectiveness of the existing SFT reporting mechanisms and procedures, whether they reflect the principles of legal certainty, legal protection, and the effectiveness of preventing the crime of money laundering. This research uses a normative juridical method with a legal approach, concepts, and legal theory, and uses secondary data in the form of laws and regulations, official documents, legal literature, and previous research results. The research results show that national and international legal regulations regarding the obligations and responsibilities of notaries in preventing money laundering crimes, particularly regarding the registration of TKM, have been expressly regulated through Law Number 8 of 2010, which makes notaries the reporting party and is strengthened by guidelines from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) and international standards such as the FATF Recommendations. Notaries are required to report suspicious transactions as part of the national strategy to prevent and eradicate money laundering crimes, although there are still challenges in harmonizing norms and technical implementation at the practical level. The forms of legal responsibility of notaries in relation to TKM reporting include administrative, civil, and criminal responsibilities, as regulated in the TPPU Law and the Notary Law. Notaries can be subject to sanctions in the form of warnings, revocation of office permits, civil lawsuits due to negligence, and even criminal charges if proven to have deliberately ignored reporting obligations. Thus, this legal responsibility confirms that the notary profession is not only ethically but also legally responsible in supporting efforts to prevent money laundering crimes. The mechanisms and procedures for TKM reporting by notaries as regulated in legislation do not fully reflect the principles of legal certainty, legal protection, and effectiveness. Although normatively there is an adequate legal basis available, in practice there is still technical ambiguity, overlapping norms, low understanding of reporting obligations among notaries, and a weak institutional support system. Keywords: Legal Responsibility; Money Laundering; Notary; PPATK; Suspicious Financial Transactions.