President�s Pension
Usurpers to lose benefit
The cabinet in principle yesterday approved a draft bill that would make presidents, who seized power illegally and unconstitutionally, ineligible for pension, gratuity and other benefits. The Presidents Pension, Gratuity and Other Benefits Bill 2015 further stated that Presidents who have not drawn pension and other benefits after the liberation are entitled for the benefits. The Cabinet Secretary, Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, yesterday informed reporters about this at a briefing at the Secretariat after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The cabinet approved a draft of the Presidents Pension, Gratuity and Other Benefits Bill 2015, proposing an amendment to the Pension Ordinance of 1979. The Cabinet Secretary said that pension, gratuity and other benefits were determined by the Pension Ordinance of 1979 that was once amended in 1988. Pension and other benefits under the Ordinance will not be admissible if the person is convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude. Under the new law, if the President is or was declared by the court to have illegally and unconstitutionally assumed the post of the President, he will not get the benefits of pension, gratuity and other benefits, said Bhuiyan. Replying to a query, he said, Former Presidents, Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad, are not drawing pension as they were declared illegal by the court. They get allowances as military personnel since they were employed with the army.
Responding to another question, he said, The family members of former President, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, did not draw any pension on behalf of him as the ordinance was formulated in 1979. However, according to the new law Bangabandhu will be eligible for the benefits. Whether his inheritance will take it or not, it cannot be said. The ruling Awami League government undertook the move to enact a fresh law as the Pension Ordinance of 1979 was promulgated during the military regime and the Supreme Court had recently nullified it. The cabinet also approved the drafts of the Bangladesh Coinage (Amendment) Act, 2015 and the Bangladesh Silk Development Board (Amendment) Act, 2015. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed the cabinet meeting about the participation of Bangladeshi delegation at the 68th international conference of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Switzerland held from May 18-26.
