Court rejects former KPPU commissioner appeal

JAKARTA: The Supreme Court on Monday turned down the appeal made by former commissioner of the Business Competition Supervisory Agency (KPPU), Muhammad Iqbal, who is convicted of receiving bribes from a businessman.

One of the judges handling the case, Krisna Harahap, was quoted by Antara as saying that Iqbal was convincingly found guilty in the case.

Iqbal was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison and fined Rp 200 million (US$22,222) by the Corruption Court after being found guilty of accepting Rp 500 million from Billy Sindoro, a former executive of cable television company PT First Media.

The anti-monopoly commissioner was believed to have received the kickback for the body's decision to let Direct Vision, a subsidiary of First Media, hold an exclusive right to broadcast the English Premiere League. Iqbal is considering filing a case review against the court's ruling. - JP