Former Chief Justices To Get Houses
By Dickson Jere
A Bill has been presented in Parliament to have the government build retirement houses for former Chief Justices who have served for more than five years and retired honorably without being kicked out on disciplinary matters.
The proposed law that is now coming up for debate in Parliament in the current session also gives the former Chief Justice a salary of 80% of that of incumbent, a government vehicle and state security until death. But should the former Chief Justice join politics, he or she will lose the benefits.
“House built or bought in the Republic by the Government at a place of choice of the former Chief Justice or in lieu of the house, a one-off cash payment equivalent to forty percent of the one-off cash payment paid to a former President…,” the Bill reads in part.
The one-off cash payment is to be used to purchase the house, the Bill reads. In case of death, the benefits will move to the spouse who will be entitled to salary of 50% of the incumbent Chief Justice but will lose the benefit if she or he remarries.
The proposed law is called “The Benefits of Former Chief Justice Act, 2026” and will once deal with former Chief Justices who have occupied the office after the law has been passed. This is sharp contrast with the other Bill, “The Benefits of Former Presidents and Former Vice President” which has been backdated to all those who served as Vice Presidents since 1964.
Otter benefits includes a diplomatic passport, medical insurance and one foreign and local trip per year.
Currently, only the former President and former Speaker enjoys these benefits but the former Chief Justice was left out hence this new law to standardize the retirement benefits of heads of the three organs of the state, namely, Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. So, the rationale of this proposal legislation is well understood.
A debate is also brewing as to whether their deputies should also be considered given that the former Vice Presidents have abeen taken care of in the current Bill before Parliament. Should the former deputy Speaker and deputy Chief Justice also be looked after in retirement? That is a moot question.
My views on these issues of houses are very well known and I did present the same in Parliament last week. We do not need to build these houses but rather have state residences where we can keep our former leaders but vacate once they and their spouse are dead.
Former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Speaker and Chief Justice should be able to build own houses from their own incomes or take out a retirement pension plan while in office.