The High Court in Kuala Lumpur fixed March 21 for case management of a suit filed by a retired Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) personnel against former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and six Malaysian leaders for alleged conspiracy, cheating and downgrading the dignity of 403 retired ATM officers.

Judge Datuk V T Singham set the date when the case came up for mention before him today.

Rtd Captain Tengku Zainal Abidin Tengku Yusoff, 58, filed the suit last Jan 20, claiming that he was acting on behalf of the 403 retired officers who had held the ranks ranging from second lieutenant to general.

NONE Besides Lee ( left ), they also named Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and the prime ministers after him right up to current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and the chief secretary to the government as defendants.

They also named the defence ministers from the era of Abdul Razak Hussein right up to present Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, as well as Malaysia’s and Singapore’s defence ministry secretaries-general, and the governments of Malaysia and Singapore as defendants.

In the statement of claim, the plaintiffs alleged that the first prime minister right up to the current sixth, and the chief secretary to the government, had cheated, conspired and abused their powers to downgrade the dignity of ATM officers by reducing the salary quantum of their corps and allowances since 1963 to the present time.

They are seeking, among others, a declaration that the cabinet decision in 1963 which sidelined the ATM from the Special Commission that was set up to review remuneration and service terms for the public sector was wrong and unlawful.

- Bernama