PARLIAMENT | Former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) CEO Peter Bellew had to pay the national carrier four months in salary for defaulting his employment contract, said Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani.

He said under the three-year contract signed by between Bellew and MAS, parties should issue a six-month notice before termination of the agreement.

"In the contract, both parties can give a six-month notice. The CEO can give a six-month notice, or MAS can give a six-month notice," Johari added.

"But he gave four months short of notice, so we accepted (his resignation) and he had to pay four months (in salary)," he said during the winding up of the Budget 2018 debate.

Johari was responding to Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) who asked if Bellew had defaulted his employment contract and the amount he compensated.

Johari, however, did not disclose the amount paid by Bellew.

Bellew's status was made known by Ryanair Holdings PLC at the London Stock Exchange last month, which came as a surprise even to MAS.

It was reported that Bellew tendered his resignation to Khazanah on Oct 8.