JAKARTA, INDONESIA - An Indonesian lawmaker who said he received money after voting for a senior central banker has become a political sensation, exposing the country?s corrupt ways and illustrating the difficulty of tackling such problems.

Agus Condro Prayitno, 46, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), admitted to receiving thousands of dollars in "gifts" which he used to buy luxury cars and other assets.

"As a politician, I'm not that clean," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Agus told Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission that he and some other legislators had received 500 million rupiah (US$54,620) each after Miranda Goeltom was elected senior central bank deputy governor in 2004.

"My thought at that time was, there's 500 million rupiah. I can change my car, and so I bought a Mercedes, secondhand, but still in good condition," he told Reuters.

"My driver used to be ashamed to drive me in a cheap Soluna. He was thrilled when I bought the Mercedes."

Agus told reporters last week he had admitted receiving the payments when the anti-graft agency questioned him about a separate central bank graft case.

Goeltom was not immediately available for comment, but local media reported her as saying she knew nothing about the case.

In the decade since the overthrow of Suharto, the country's autocratic ruler for 32 years, Indonesia has undergone political reform, removing the military from politics, and holding direct elections for parliament and president.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was elected in 2004 and promised to tackle endemic graft, but progress has been slow.

Despite several high-profile investigations, graft remains widespread and Southeast Asia?s biggest economy ranks among the most corrupt in the world, deterring foreign investment.

"DONATIONS"

Political parties do not receive funding from the state, so MPs are often expected to "donate" money, which some analysts say encourages graft, as MPs solicit funds in return for passing legislation. "Every faction member in the parliament gives 5-6 million rupiah a month to the party as a donation," Agus told Reuters.

Agus was questioned by the anti-graft agency as part of its investigation into Bank Indonesia, and was asked whether he had received money in return for amendments to the banking law.

"I said to them I've never received it. But, I said, I've received other money," including 25 million rupiah in 2003 which he described as "some sort of welcoming money" because he had just joined a commission for monetary and banking issues. A year later, he received 500 million rupiah.

Now, Agus could lose his party nomination in next year's election.

"The dilemma is that on the one hand he has confessed, which means he's guilty, and decisions have to be taken. On the other hand, it is up to the court to say whether he?s guilty or not," Ganjar Pranowo, PDI-P's faction secretary, told Reuters.

Agus said he had returned the 25 million rupiah and wanted to give back the 500 million rupiah too. But since he no longer had the cash, he offered to give his cars to the anti-graft agency.

"I'm a human being, easily mistaken. But I want to rectify my mistakes."

(US$1 = 9,154 rupiah)