Abstract

Restructuring the state apparatus requires continuity in the performance of public duties when the responsible bodies change. Using doctrinal legal analysis and hypothetical cases, this article distinguishes the receiving agency’s duty to continue pending work from individual responsibility for errors committed before the handover. Drawing on legislation and relevant scholarship, it proposes attributing responsibility according to the time of conduct, preserving evidence, and evaluating handovers based on administrative outcomes. The article also emphasizes the need to transition from temporary restructuring provisions to specialized legislation to ensure long-term continuity. This approach helps protect citizens while enabling public-service responsibility to be assigned based on conduct and evidence. As the proposed framework is normative, its effectiveness requires further empirical examination in administrative practice.

Keywords: Accountability, administrative responsibility, case handover, continuity of public duties, institutional restructuring.