A private legal practitioner has implored the 40 former Members of Parliament seeking some 10million cedis pension benefits from government, to let go their demands.
The 40 former MPs, who served in the third and fourth parliaments during the Kufuor administration, have sued the Attorney-General and the Ministry of Finance over pensions owed them.
According to these former law makers, the government must pay them at least two hundred and thirty three thousand, four hundred and ninety five cedis (233,495) each, totaling about ten (10) million cedis.
The basis of their legal action is the Chinery-Hesse Presidential Emoluments Committee’s report, which provides that parliamentarians who were 50 years and above and exited Parliament after two terms, should be paid some monies as pension benefits
Speaking with 3FM News, lawyer Martin Kpebu explained that the former MPs must consider the current finances of the state and soften their push for the monies.
“Its within their legal right to go to court, what doesn’t sound good about it is that it appears they haven’t factored in the general public outcry against over burdening the public purse with salaries and emoluments.
“If you ask me looking at the way our society is structured, the way there are so many poor people in the society who are suffering and we need to provide water for them and the rest, this is something that these MPs must allow to go. They don’t have to insist on every pesewa”.
He wondered why MPs and other government officials receive huge sums of money as salaries and allowances yet demand more after service to the country.
“You serve the country for a number of years, you are making a living other people have nothing. They should let go because my basic reason is that they are over paying these MPs in the country”.
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