Court of Appeal to decide on army pensions, says Defence Minister

JOHOR BARU: The Defence Ministry (Mindef) will wait for the Court of Appeal's decision on streamlining the pension for retired armed forces personnel who retired prior to 2013.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that this issue extends beyond retired armed forces personnel and would also affect former judges and retired civil servants. Each group has initiated legal action against the Malaysian government regarding the matter.

"This is a matter of policy; when it comes to salaries and pensions, we are subject to the Public Service Department. The trial in the Court of Appeal regarding this issue will begin in January next year, so we will see the court's decision.

"We do not want a different pension for former judges, a different pension for military veterans, and a different pension for retired civil servants.

"The court's assessment laws will not differ because they involve the same case," he said.

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He said this after attending the service medal Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) Awards Ceremony at the Taman Pulai Utama multi-purpose hall here on Sunday (May 12).

Mohamed Khaled also said that the lawsuit filed by retired armed forces personnel in the case was against the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and the Armed Forces Council.

"When it involves court action, it will be handled by the Attorney General's Office and concluded in court, not at the ministry level," he explained.

On Feb 5, Bernama reported that the High Court has allowed the originating summons filed by 50 retired armed forces personnel against the government, the Malaysian Armed Forces Council, and two other parties regarding pension adjustments for those who retired before January 1, 2013.

More to come.