In an action that we are not used to by government officials, MP Onoufrios Koullas renounces his pension
He could make the duck and become another one of the dozens of current government officials who enjoy, in a provocative way for society, both salary and pension. Instead, he not only denies in a letter to the general accountant his pension, while he will be a state official, but also asks for information on the basis of which law and which specific articles he acquired, in order to study ways to rationalize this. so "unorthodox", in his words, providence.
The reason for the 42-year-old Onoufrios Koullas, who was elected MP with DISY last May, a fact that led to his compulsory resignation from the public service where he worked. According to his letter to Rea Georgiou, Mr. Koulla. 22/9/2016, was informed by officials of the General Accounting Office that as a former civil servant he will receive together with the earnings of the Member of Parliament and pension. "Given that I am now 42 years old, I must say that this has made a special impression on me," said Mr Koullas, calling for the "right" to be revoked as he holds office in the Republic for some time. In fact, he asks Ms. Georgiou, in case the payment has already been launched retroactively from June of the "due" amount, to proceed with a corresponding adjustment to his remuneration for the next few months, so that the corresponding amount is deducted.
By law of '97
An investigation by the newspaper "Politis" shows that the law that Κου retires Mr. Koullas from the age of 42 (some possibly at a younger age) and whom he seeks to amend, is the Pension Law of 1997 and in particular Article 24 thereof, according to which "when an official retires for a public office which is incompatible with the office or position he holds in the civil service, he shall in any case receive a pension for his service (pension rate and lump sum ) without taking into account the condition for completing five years of service "but also" as much additional pension as the Council of Ministers deems fair and proper ". It is emphasized that the even more provocative provision of additional pension by a decision of the Minister was abolished based on the Law on Pensions of State Officials (General Principles) of 2011 according to which "for purposes of calculating the pension and lump sum or tip of an official office or position after the enactment of this law does not take into account any additional service ".
The challenge and others
It is recalled that under the 2011 law, in the event that an official or retiree assumes or assumes any function or position or position, the pension to be paid or paid to him shall be suspended for as long as his term or office lasts. In short, in 2011 the suspension of the payment of pensions to incumbent officials was passed. However, after an appeal by 52 affected officials, this provision of the law was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in October 2014, with the result that the simultaneous payment resumed, while the 52 who had appealed the pension were paid retroactively from the day the law came into force (May 2011). ). From October 2014 until today, exactly two years have passed without the government resolving the issue again, although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the press conference for the three years of internal government of Nikos Anastasiadis, and in a relevant question of "P", had revealed that supports the draft law submitted by DIKO last April. With this proposal, the examination of which has not yet begun in the competent committee of the Parliament, Nikolas Papadopoulos estimates that the suspension of the pension is regulated in a constitutionally permissible way, however with a second provision the civil service pension is exempted from offsetting pensions.
Who refused
Finally, it should be noted that Mr. Onoufrios Koullas is the only one of the current MPs who refuses his pension, although there are others who come from the public sector. Of the former MPs, only Nikos Nikolaidis had resigned, while to this day the pension of the President of the Republic N. Anastasiadis (since his term in Parliament) and the ministers of Z. Emilianidou, I. Kasoulidis and S. Hasikou (the latter became 60 years old in April and immediately withdrew his pension) are transferred to the Social Welfare Agency to continue their studies, while the pension of the Attorney General K. Clerides is deposited in the fixed fund.
Source: CITIZEN