<![CDATA[This study examines whether unlawful corporate funding in local elections may give rise to corporate civil liability for harm to the public interest. Corporate financing can undermine democratic governance by shifting public officeholders’ priorities from the public interest toward political donors. Although Indonesian election law regulates campaign contributions, enforcement has largely focused on the administrative and criminal liability of individuals, leaving corporate civil liability and public interest protection insufficiently addressed. The study argues that unlawful corporate funding should trigger civil liability because it facilitates conflicts of interest, policy distortions, and patronage-based political exchanges that threaten the public interest. Its novelty lies in reconceptualizing unlawful corporate political funding as a basis for corporate civil liability and a mechanism for restoring the public interest within electoral law. Using normative and qualitative legal research with theories of liability, political exchange, and reciprocity, the study finds that limited investigative audits, individual-centered enforcement, and weak sanctions against corporations hinder accountability in political financing. Transactional relationships between corporations and elected officials further increase the risk of private interests prevailing over public interests. The study recommends strengthening corporate civil liability mechanisms and public interest restoration within electoral law to enhance democratic accountability.]]>
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