Hearing date set for Ex-PM’s pension case

The High Court in Suva has set a hearing date for claims made by former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama regarding his reduced pension.

Bainimarama appeared before Justice Daniel Goundar yesterday.

According to the claim, Bainimarama was entitled to 75 per cent of his annual salary as pension, amounting to $246,562.50, but received only $184,921.87. Additionally, he was to receive a one-off gratuity of $770,507.87, but was paid $433,296.75, leaving a shortfall of $337,211.12.

During the proceeding, his lawyer, Devanesh Sharma, told the court that the pension issue was urgent, as it had been pending for quite some time.

Justice Goundar acknowledged the urgency of the case, noting that his diary was already fully booked with other civil matters.

Lawyer from the Attorney-General’s Office, Ofa Solimailagi, told the court that Government had no issue with making payments; however, there were provisions that prompted them to take action against the claims.

Ms Solimailagi sought an interpretation of the Prime Minister’s Pension Act and the Remuneration Act, as this would determine how they would respond to the plaintiff’s claims.

She told the court that their witnesses would consist of civil servants.

There was a proposal for the hearing to be held over the weekend; however, Ms Solimailagi noted that she would need to seek consent from the witnesses, as the hearing would take place outside regular working hours.

After careful consideration, the trial date was set for August 4 to 29.

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