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No. 4634 PP 2644/12/2008 (020369)

Friday
November 7, 2008
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com

» Former ministry sec-gen acquitted pg4 » Born to direct Bond pg32-33 the big picture

Six ex-judges RM5 MILLION

Tun Salleh Abas

paid RM10.5m
by Husna Yusop
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
wrong in removing the top judges.
N. Gobalakrishnan (PKR-Padang
Serai) asked whether RM5 million
“They were not sacked. They were
asked to retire early. It’s like optional.
At 66, you can (receive) pension.
HOW
MUCH
THEY
RECEIVED Tan Sri Wan Suleiman
UALA LUMPUR: Former

K
was adequate for someone like Salleh Since they chose to retire, the pension Pawan Teh
Lord President Tun Salleh who held a very high position. He said was paid. The Pension Department
Abas received RM5 million in Salleh suffered a lot from the crisis, would not pay (pension) if they had RM2 MILLION
ex-gratia payment from the while the government could spend broken any law.
government for being removed during much more for other projects. “They did not break any law. So,
the 1988 judicial crisis. Five other Nazri said the government was the pension was paid. They took early
former judges were paid a total of not admitting guilt by making the retirement, so the pension was on,” he
RM5.5 million. payments, quoting a statement by explained.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Wee Choo Keong (PKR-Wangsa
Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Ahmad Badawi in April when Maju) said: “All this while, I thought
Aziz, who revealed the quantum of the announcing the decision to pay the six were sacked because all the
payouts, said former Supreme Court ex-gratia to the former judges. newspapers had reported it as such. I
judges Tan Sri Wan Suleiman Pawan He said the case involved the don’t understand what the minister is
Teh and George Edward saying.
Seah Kim Seng received They were not sacked. They were asked to “They were not sacked
RM2 million each. retire early. It’s like optional. At 66, you can but asked to retire early?
Tan Sri Wan Hamzah (receive) pension. Since they chose to retire, the That’s not correct. They Tan Sri Azmi George Edward
Mohd Salleh, Tan Sri were in fact dismissed by Kamaruddin Seah Kim Seng
Azmi Kamaruddin and pension was paid. The Pension Department would the tribunal. The tribunal
the late Tan Sri Eusoffe not pay (pension) if they had broken any law. cannot ask them to retire RM500,000 RM2 MILLION
Abdolcader were paid – Nazri Abdul Aziz early.
RM500,000 each, he told “The setting up of the
the Dewan Rakyat in his winding-up question of honour and dignity, tribunal was to sack them, not to
for the ministry on Budget 2009 therefore no one could actually put a ask them to take early retirement.
yesterday. price to it. Please don’t fool us. Since they also
At the same time, he said they Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) received pension, the RM5 million is
were also paid pensions and gratuity asked why the judges were granted considered too high.”
for the past 20 years with Salleh pension and ex-gratia since they Nazri said the panel was not set up
receiving RM5,102.16 monthly, Wan were sacked. He said to restore their to sack the judges, but to look at the
Hamzah RM6,508.59, Seah and Azmi honour and dignity, the government case and make a judgment.
RM5,916.90 each and Wan Suleiman should have set up another tribunal “To sack is a judgment. To
and Eusoffe RM4,815 each. to clear them from the actions taken recommend early retirement is a
Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Ind-Pasir Mas) against them. judgment,” he said, adding that
asked the reason for the compensation Nazri said the judges were found newspaper reports cannot be Tan Sri Wan Hamzah Tan Sri Eusoffe
as it has created a perception that the guilty by a tribunal and were asked to quoted as reliable sources for valid Mohd Salleh Abdolcader
previous administration had been take early retirement , “not sacked”. information.
RM500,000 RM500,000