AG: 'I will not apologise for pension increase'

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi says he will not apologise for proposing pension increases for MPs and the judiciary.

In a press conference at the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, Al- Rawi, responding to questions about the Government's proposed increase in pensions for the President, MPs and judges, said he recognised the increase as one way to incentivise members of the judiciary.

"I will not apologise for dedicating attention to the judiciary," Al-Rawi said.

He recognised, he admitted, that this was a “thorny issue” claiming that MPs and judges are viewed disfavourably in the public eye. However, he recognised that there was a limited capacity that the government can cater for, and at this time, the wider society was not the priority.

He said he was a “new politician" who had served for only a short time and the matter of retirement pensions should be taken up by the Minster of Finance, Colm Imbert, who had more knowledge of the matter.