JOHOR BARU: The Defence Ministry will abide by the Court of Appeal's ruling on pension adjustment claims filed by armed forces veterans.

Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said the pension adjustment issue involved three parties - the armed forces veterans, retired judiciary and civil servants who retired before Jan 1, 2013 - who had all filed lawsuits against the government.

The lawsuits were against the prime minister, the defence minister and the Armed Forces Council.

Khaled said the three involved parties had different outcomes in the High Court.

"Salary and pensions are policy matters under the Public Service Department's (JPA) jurisdiction.

"When the government and its ministries are sued, the Attorney-General's Office will be representing them in court.

"In this case, since the lawsuit is against the defence minister, the A-G's office will be representing me," he told a press conference after the armed forces' veterans service medal awards ceremony today.

Khaled said there was no issue with veterans who retired after Jan 1, 2013, and that pension adjustment issues involved personnel who retired before 2013.

The veterans took up their case to the High Court and won, and the A-G's office is appealing against the ruling.

In the civil servants' cases, some won and some did not.

At the judicial level, the Court of Appeal had, on May 7, agreed with the lawsuit filed by former judges.

"So now we have to wait for the A-G's office to finalise things…as the issue does not involve only the defence minister but also other parties," he said.

Some 50 retired armed forces officers filed a lawsuit on Nov 17, 2022, naming the government, the prime minister, the defence minister and the Armed Forces Council as defendants.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/1049682/minister-defence-ministry-will-abide-courts-decision-veterans-pension