Indonesia anti-trust official charged with graft

JAKARTA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - A former official from Indonesia's anti-monopoly agency was charged on Tuesday with receiving bribes in connection with the award of broadcasting rights in a case that has hurt the credibility of the watchdog.

Indonesia's anti-graft agency, known as KPK, detained Mohammad Iqbal last September after he was alleged to have received a bag containing 500 million rupiah ($42,480) from a businessman, Billy Sindoro, at a luxury hotel in Jakarta.

KPK had said it suspected the money was paid in relation to a decision taken by the antitrust agency, KPPU, regarding Direct Vision, partly owned by First Media (KBLV.JK), a unit of tycoon James Riady's Lippo Group.

In August 2008, the KPPU ruled that Direct Vision had not violated Indonesia's anti-monopoly law in a case related to TV broadcast rights for the English Premier League between 2007 and 2010, according to KPPU's website (www.kppu.go.id).

"The defendant as a civil servant and part of the state apparatus as a member of KPPU had received a gift of 500 million rupiah in cash from Billy Sindoro," prosecutor Malino Pranduk told the court in the indictment.

Pranduk said Iqbal knew that the gift was given in exchange for confidential information on the KPPU decision.

Iqbal could face a maximum penalty of life in jail if found guilty under Indonesia's corruption law.

The defence team is due to present its case next week.

Sindoro is also on trial separately over the case.

The case has cast doubt on the credibility of decisions made by KPPU, which was established almost nine years ago.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is seeking a second term in office this year, has made combating corruption in one of the world's most graft-prone nations as key part of his platform. (Writing by Telly Nathalia; Editing by Ed Davies)