The government is making a new law cancelling pension, allowances and other state benefits of the presidents of Bangladesh whose tenures are declared illegal.
With this ineligibility provision, the cabinet approved on Monday the draft 'President's Pension, Gratuity, and other Privileges Act 2015', cabinet secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters.
"The proposed law states that if any court declares the assumption of office by any President as illegal and unconstitutional, then s/he will not be eligible for receiving pension," he said at a media briefing after the Cabinet meeting.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting at the Cabinet Division of Bangladesh Secretariat.
The cabinet secretary was asked whether former presidents - Ziaur Rahman and H M Ershad - whose assumption of the presidency was declared 'illegal' by separate High Court rulings, would receive pension as former heads of state.
He said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman also did not receive pension as a former President.
Mr Bhuiyan mentioned that Bangabandhu had served as President and did not take retirement benefits. His family members until now do not enjoy such benefit.
Former presidents - Ziaur Rahman (his family) and H M Ershad - are now enjoying the benefits from the Ministry of Defence, he told the journalists.
He said the government will enact the law by updating the President's Pension Ordinance of 1979. It was amended in 1988 for being applicable from then. The proposed law has the provision for making the law effective.
He noted that before 1979 there was no law about pension of the President. During martial law, an ordinance was issued in 1979 regarding the matter.
The nominees or the descendants of the presidents could claim the pension, he said.
In line with the constitutional amendment following the High Court directives all the ordinances issued during the military rule must be updated in Bangla version.
The proposed law was submitted to the Cabinet on December 15, 2014. But the Cabinet did not approve it that time.
It gave the directives to the Cabinet Division to include a provision that if any former President was convicted of any criminal offence or record of moral degradation and those who took the state power as observed by the court illegally (unconstitutionally), then s/he would not enjoy such pension-gratuity benefits.
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs prepared the draft law, and placed it before the Cabinet.
Mr Bhuiyan said the main ordinance stated that a retired President will get pension at a rate of 75 per cent of the salary. That time the President's salary was Tk 10,000, calculating the pension at Tk 7,500.
The salary of the President is now Tk 61,200 and retirement benefit is Tk 45,900.
If anyone, after serving as President, joins any organisation and gets salary and other benefits after retirement, then s/he will not get presidential retirement benefits.
An influential minister raised the matter of increasing salaries, allowances and other benefits for Members of Parliament at one point of the discussion on the President's retirement act, said a cabinet member, who preferred not be named.
The minister pointed out that MPs of neighbouring India and other countries enjoy such benefits. However, the discussion on the issue was short-lived.
Meanwhile, before start of the cabinet meeting, Food Minister Quamrul Islam handed over the UN Food and Agricultural Organisaiton (FAO) 'Achievement Award', signed by FAO Director General Jose Graziano da Silva, to Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladesh received the award in Rome in June in recognition of its notable and outstanding progress in fighting hunger.
The cabinet secretary said a special event titled 'Recognising Notable and Outstanding Progress in Fighting hunger' was held in Rome on June 6-13, 2015 on the sidelines of the 39th session of FAO.
The food minister received the award on June 7 from the organisation on behalf of the Prime Minister.
The Achievement Award 2015 marks the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cycle.
Mr Bhuiyan said the country had already achieved the target of reducing the number of people suffering from undernourishment by at least 50 per cent before 2015.
"The award added another feather to the crown of success of Bangladesh," he said.
The cabinet was also appraised about Bangladesh delegation's participation in the 68th conference of the World Health Organisation on May 18-26, 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
\\\'Illegal presidents\\\' won\\\'t get retirement perks
FE Report | Published: August 04, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
Share if you like