The High Court of Justice decided today (Monday), once again, not to issue an interim order preventing the continuation of the settlement of military pension payments, which entitles those retiring from permanent service to an increase in the Chief of Staff. Judges Yitzhak Amit, David Mintz and Ofer Grosskopf rejected the request of the petitioners “Financial Justice” and “Net Profit” to issue an interim order that would stop the payment of the increased pensions.
■ The state’s debts to budget pensioners have crossed the NIS 1 trillion mark
The judges previously issued a conditional order, and the state announced that there is no legal basis for the distribution of the funds that has been made to date. So far, no answering affidavit has been submitted on behalf of the state. The judges ruled: “This time, too, we saw no reason to issue an interim order at this time, given the legislative procedure that is still pending and the upcoming elections.”
The meaning of the decision is that the Supreme Court allows the financial settlement to continue at this time, even though the state has admitted that it is illegal.
“impossible precedent”
Attorney Mika Shainok Karten, the legal advisor of the “Net Profit” association, said in response that “the petitioners are troubled by the fact that the honorable court did not see fit to issue an interim order and protect the looted public purse. The court allows, in its decision not to issue an interim order and to postpone again (and again) the date of the update on behalf of the state regarding the regulation of the payment of the Chief of Staff’s increases, to continue to extort millions contrary to the language of the law, under the auspices of the court. This is an impossible precedent, in which the court has allowed for about three years to continue To spend public money – not only without any explicit instruction authorizing this spending by force of law, but also in complete violation of the language of the law.”
The petitioners asked for an interim order ordering the cessation of the payment of the “Chief of Staff Increases” component to anyone who retires. They claimed that there is no dispute between them and the state regarding the illegality of the extended payment. They claimed that the procedure is decided, in practice, by the court’s abstention Stops the conduct of the Ministry of Defense.
The petition was submitted two and a half years ago but has not yet been decided. The Chief of Staff’s increase component is given to those who are entitled to a budget pension. According to the estimate, there are only 3-4 years left entitled to a budget pension. “, the petitioners wrote. They added that since the Knesset has been dissolved, the arrangement is not seen as legal in the foreseeable future, and therefore there is room for the court’s intervention.