Misbruik van bevoegdheid

Abuse of powers is a legal doctrine in administrative law whereby an administrative authority exercises a power conferred upon it for a purpose other than that intended by statute. This prohibition is laid down in Article 3:3 of the General Administrative Law Act (Awb) and serves to ensure that governmental action remains lawful and purpose-oriented.

In practice, abuse of powers may result in the annulment of a decision by the administrative court. Interested parties may invoke this ground in objection or appeal proceedings to prevent public authorities from exercising their powers for personal or improper purposes.