In a recent court ruling, a widow has secured a BD9,900 pension payout after a legal dispute with her late husband’s sister, who had claimed a share of the funds. The Military Pension Fund had initially withheld part of the sum, but the court found no grounds for the delay and ordered the full amount to be released to the widow. The court dismissed the sister’s claim that she was financially dependent on her brother, who passed away in September 2022, due to insufficient evidence. The sister, who had been divorced since 2006 and was unemployed, argued that her brother had supported her living expenses, even after her marriage ended, which she believed entitled her to part of his pension. However, the court rejected her claim, ordering her to pay BD50 in legal costs. The widow, represented by lawyer Jassim Al Essa, had approached the court in April 2024, asserting that under Bahrain’s Military Pensions Law, she was the rightful beneficiary. The court also ruled that the Ministry of Social Development’s reports were inadequate to justify the freeze on the funds. The court further ordered the Ministry of Social Development to reimburse the widow BD216.500 for court expenses, with BD80 […]