Entitlement to proportional Hacienda pension for former ministerDerecho a pensión proporcional de Hacienda para exministro

**III.- ANALYSIS OF THE SPECIFIC CASE:** Prior to analyzing the arguments presented by the appellant, it is necessary to analyze the personal and employment history of Mr. [Nombre1]. The evidence brought to the case file proved that the plaintiff was born on September 16, 1943 (folio 8); he provided services for the public sector in the following periods: for the Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) starting in March 1967 until January 1969 (1 year and 11 months); subsequently, he worked for that ministry, as minister, in the period from May 8, 1978, to April 16, 1981 (2 years and 11 months); and finally, he worked at the University of Costa Rica (Universidad de Costa Rica) from 1969 until May 1981. In total, he worked for the public administration for a total of thirteen years, six months, and ten days (folios 12 to 15). That being so, the plaintiff seeks his right to a pension based on Article 13 of Law No. 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments. This Chamber, in its vote number 622 at 9:50 a.m. on December 11, 2002, recounts the amendments that this regulation has undergone, stating in this regard: “This numeral 13 underwent various modifications, in the form and order to be described. By law number 2417, of September 14, 1959 (article 1°), it was modified in the following sense:/ “Officials or employees of the Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa), of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República), and of the former Control Center, may request retirement (jubilación) with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age. When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served. In the case of deputies, the pension shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years. The years served as a deputy to the Legislative Assembly shall be computed towards those served to the Public Administration.”/Subsequently, with law number 2493 of May 11, 1960 (article 1°), the following paragraph was added: /“This pension regime shall be optional for Deputies. Consequently, they shall not be protected by its benefits nor obligated to contribute financially to it, when they notify the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly that they do not wish to belong to that regime. The Directorate shall notify the National Treasury of those exclusions, so that in those cases the deduction indicated in this same law is not made.” / In 1974, by law N° 5664, of December 27, 1974 (article 9), the following paragraph was added: /“Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government (Supremos Poderes) protected by this Regime who are over seventy years of age, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than two thousand colones per month.” /By law N° 5696 of May 14, 1975 (article 14), it was amended as follows:/ “Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government protected by this regime who are over sixty-five years of age, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than two thousand colones per month.” /In article 9 of law N° 5875, of December 26, 1975, it was again modified: / “Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government protected by this Regime who are over sixty-five years of age, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than two thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live with dignity.” /Then, it was again amended by law N° 6025, of December 20, 1976 (article 9): /“Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government protected by this Regime who are over sixty years of age, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than two thousand five hundred colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live with dignity.” /Later it was also amended by law N° 6191, of December 12, 1977, (article 9), in the following sense:/ “Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government, protected by this Regime who are over sixty years of age or their widows, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than three thousand five hundred colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live with dignity.” /By article 20 of law number 6256, of April 28, 1978, it was again modified, adding a new paragraph, which provided: / “Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government not protected by other pension regimes, who meet the indicated requirements, may also avail themselves of the rights established in this article.” In that same year, it was amended, adding a new paragraph, through article 9 of law N° 6305, of December 21 (1978), in the following sense: / “Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government, protected by this regime who are over sixty years of age or their widows, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than five thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live with dignity.” By law 6.406, of December 17, 1979 (article 9), it was again modified: / “Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government, covered by this regime or their widows, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than five thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live with dignity.” / By means of law N° 6542, of December 22, 1980 (article 9), said Article 13 was modified as follows: “Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than ¢6,000.00 (six thousand colones). Those former members of the Supreme Branches of Government, including vice-presidents and their surviving spouses where applicable, over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, whether or not they completely fulfilled the period for which they were elected, or under sixty years of age in case of need, shall also be entitled to a pension not less than said amount. The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any kind of deductions, except those contemplated in article 10 of this law and in N° 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and the corresponding proportion, in the case of alimony. The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary the budget items, to cover the obligations deriving from this regulation. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security must, ex officio in the payrolls, make the necessary adjustments to adapt them to the provisions of this regulation.” /It was again modified by law number 6700. of December 23, 1981 (article 9), providing:/ “Paragraph four of Article 13 of the same law is amended, so that the text of the fourth and fifth paragraphs read: / \"Article 13.- Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than ¢8,000.00 (eight thousand colones). Those former members of the Supreme Branches of Government, including vice-presidents and their surviving spouses, where applicable, over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, whether or not they completely fulfilled the period for which they were elected, or under sixty years of age, shall also be entitled to a pension not less than said amount. The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any kind of deductions, except those contemplated in article 10 of this law and in law number 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund and the corresponding proportion, in the case of alimony. The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary the budget items, to cover the obligations deriving from this regulation. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security must, ex officio in the payrolls, make the necessary adjustments to adapt them to the provisions of this regulation\". / A final paragraph is added to Article 13 of Law Nº 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments, which shall read: \"This regulation modifies the laws, articles, and subsections that oppose it.\" / By law N° 6811, of September 10, 1982 (article 8, regulation 183), it was modified in the following sense: / “Paragraph four of Article 13 of the same law is amended so that the text of the fourth and fifth paragraphs read: / Article 13: Former ministers of the Supreme Branches of Government or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall be entitled to a pension of no less than ten thousand colones (¢10,000). Those former ministers of the Supreme Branches of Government, including vice presidents and their surviving spouses, where applicable, over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, whether or not they completely fulfilled the period for which they were elected; or under sixty years of age, shall also be entitled to a pension not less than said amount. The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any kind of deductions, except those contemplated in article 10 of this law and in law number 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund and the corresponding proportion, in the case of alimony. The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary the budget items, in order to cover the obligations deriving from this regulation. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security must, ex officio, make the necessary adjustments to adapt them to the provisions of this regulation.”/ Then, an attempt was made to amend it again, by law number 6.831, of December 23, 1.982 (article 54); however, regarding that and other regulations, the law was returned without the corresponding sanction from the Executive Branch. / By law N° 6.914, of November 28, 1.983 (article 10), it was again modified, in the following manner: / \"Article 13.-The employees and officials of the Legislative Assembly and the Comptroller General of the Republic, and those who provide their services in State agencies and institutions, who have the right to avail themselves of the benefits of this law, may request their retirement, with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned at the institution at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age. / When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served. This pension regime shall be optional for deputies and former deputies, so they shall not be protected by its benefits nor obligated to contribute financially to the respective fund, when they notify in writing the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly that they do not wish to belong to the regime. /The Directorate shall notify the corresponding office of those exclusions, so that in those cases, the deductions indicated in article 10 of this law are not made. /In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years, in service to the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month. / The years served as deputies shall be computed towards the other years served to the Public Administration, so that a minimum of ten years of service can thus be demonstrated. / Former members of the supreme branches of government, including vice-presidents, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of ten years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall be entitled to a retirement of no less than ten thousand colones per month. The surviving spouses of the aforementioned former officials shall have the same right. / The pension of former deputies shall be increased each year by thirty percent on the amount of the pension they enjoy, without subjection to years of service and, in no case, may the total amount of the pension exceed the total remuneration of the per diem allowances (dietas) or salaries that a deputy earns monthly, for commission and plenary sessions of the Legislative Assembly./The pensions to which this regime refers shall be subject to the following deductions: /a) Those contemplated in article 10 of this law. / b) Those indicated by Law Nº 3808 of November 22, 1966. / c) The contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund./ ch) Those indicated by the beneficiary of the pension to the Mechanized Technical Office (Oficina Técnica Mecanizada), and the corresponding proportion in the case of alimony. /Transitional Provision: The increase in the pensions of former deputies, referred to in the fourth paragraph of this article 13, shall be fully recognized starting from the month of January 1983./ The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary the corresponding budget items, in order to cover the obligations established herein./ The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, must, ex officio, in the corresponding payrolls, make the necessary adjustments to retirements and pensions already granted, to adapt them to the provisions of this law.”/By law N° 6.963, of July 30, 1.984 (article 46), it was modified as follows:/ “Article 46. Paragraph 5 of Article 13 of the Treasury Pensions Law (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda) N° 148 of August 23, 1.943 and its amendments, amended by article 10 of law number 6914, is reformed in the following manner: Former members of the supreme branches of government, including vice-presidents, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of 10 years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall be entitled to a retirement of no less than 10 thousand colones per month. The surviving spouses of the aforementioned former officials and unmarried or disabled daughters shall have the same right”./Then, it underwent a new amendment, through law N° 6995 (article 123), of July 22, 1.985, where it was ordered: / Article 123.- Paragraph five of Article 13 of the Treasury Pensions Law, Nº 148 of August 23, 1948, and its amendments is reformed, the text of which shall read:/\"Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government, including vice-presidents and vice-ministers...\" (The rest of the paragraph is the same). It is authentically interpreted that former ministers and former vice-ministers are also those who held the positions of Secretary and Under-Secretary of State. Likewise, those persons who were given the rank of minister or vice-minister.\"/It was also amended by law N° 7007, of November 5, 1985 (article 5), providing: /“Article 5º.- Article 13 of the Treasury Pensions Law, Nº 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments is modified, the text of which shall read: /\"Article 13.-The employees and officials of the Legislative Assembly and the Comptroller General of the Republic, and those who provide their services in State agencies and institutions, who have the right to avail themselves of the benefits of this law, may request their retirement, with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned at the institution at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age./When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served. This pension regime shall be optional for deputies and former deputies, so they shall not be protected by its benefits nor obligated to contribute financially to the respective fund, when they notify in writing the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly that they do not wish to belong to the regime./The Directorate shall notify the corresponding office of those exclusions, so that in those cases the deductions indicated in article 10 of this law are not made./ In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years, in service to the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month. /The years served as deputies shall be computed towards the other years served to the Public Administration, so that a minimum of ten years of service can thus be demonstrated./Former members of the Supreme Branches of Government, including vice-presidents and vice-ministers, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of ten years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall be entitled to a retirement of no less than ten thousand colones per month./It is authentically interpreted that former ministers and former vice-ministers are also those who held the positions of Secretary and Under-Secretary of State. Likewise, those persons who were given the rank of minister or vice-minister./The surviving spouses of the aforementioned former officials and unmarried or disabled daughters shall have the same right./The pension of former deputies retired under any of the pension regimes shall be increased each year by thirty percent on the amount of the pension they enjoy, without subjection to years of service and, in no case, may the total amount of the pension exceed the total remuneration of the per diem allowances or salaries that a deputy earns monthly, for commission and plenary sessions of the Legislative Assembly./The pensions to which this regime refers shall be subject to the following deductions:/a) Those contemplated in article 10 of this law./b) Those indicated by Law Nº 3808 of November 22, 1966./c) The contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund./ch) Those indicated by the beneficiary of the pension to the Mechanized Technical Office, and the corresponding proportion in the case of alimony./The Ministry of Finance shall transfer, to each regime, the necessary sum so that it can cover the increase set by this law, for which it shall make the corresponding budget provisions\"./Finally, it was amended by law number 7018, of December 13, 1985 (article 14), in the following sense:/“38. The third paragraph of Article 13 of the Treasury Pensions Law, N° 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments is modified, the text of which shall read:/In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement shall be equal to the best salary earned in the last five years, in service to the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month”. From the above, we can conclude that since the enactment of Law N° 5664, of December 27, 1974, and the amendment made by Law number 6256, of April 28, 1978, those persons who were “former members of the Supreme Branches of Government not protected by other pension regimes” were incorporated into the benefits of the Treasury Pension and Retirement Regime (Régimen de Pensiones y Jubilaciones de Hacienda) regulated by said regulation; that is, once Law 6256 was in force, an expectation of right was created in favor of Mr. [Nombre1] (since he was not covered by another regime) to become eligible for a pension under the treasury regime. On July 15, 1992, Law N° 7302 was enacted, creating the General Pension Regime (Régimen General de Pensiones), chargeable to the National Budget. Through this law, the legislator unified the various special pension regimes that were chargeable to that Budget. In its article 1°, it establishes that “...the granting of all retirements and pensions of the contributory regimes based on the provision of service to the State, originating prior to the entry into force of this Law and whose payment is chargeable to the National Budget, shall henceforth conform to that Regime. For officials who enter the service of the State after the entry into force of this Law, the provisions of article 38 shall apply.” Among the regimes contemplated in that article 1° was the Treasury Regime (Hacienda), provided for in Law 148, of August 23, 1943, and its amendments. This was provided in article 2 of Decree N° 21996, through which the Regulation to that Law was issued, stating: “The special contributory regimes subject to the General Pension Regime in accordance with article 1 of Law N° 7302, are the following: ...f) Treasury 148 and other employees. Law N° 148 of August 23, 1943”. Consequently, in accordance with that first article of the Law, henceforth, pensions granted based on that special regime had to conform to the new general regime. Article 4 of Law 7302 provides: “The following shall have the right to retire: a) Servants who are at least sixty years of age, who have served the State and contributed to the special regime to which they belong for at least thirty years, b) Servants who are over sixty-five years of age and who have served and contributed to the special regime to which they belong for more than twenty years”. But in Transitional Provision III, as relevant, it stated: “Those persons, whose age for receiving a pension or retiring is established at sixty years and who, upon the entry into force of this Law, are or have been servants of the regimes contemplated in this regulation, may deduct from the retirement age one year for each two years served and contributed to the Public Administration./ In any case, to receive a pension or retire, a minimum age of fifty-five years and the years of service determined by their regime shall be required./ However, those who, upon the entry into force of this Law, lack less than eighteen months to be able to receive a pension or retire according to the original requirements of the legislation being repealed, may receive a pension or retire upon fulfilling those requirements...” (emphasis added). Said regulation entered into force upon its publication, on July 15, 1992; therefore, the plaintiff could acquire the right to a proportional pension under Law 148, of August 23, 1943, until eighteen months after that publication, that is, until January 14, 1994, provided he met, according to transitional provision III of Law 7302 of July 8, 1992, transcribed above, the 10 years of service and a minimum of 50 years of age (in accordance with the provisions of Article 13 of Law 148, as amended by Law N° 7007, of November 5, 1985 (article 5). In the case of Mr. [Nombre1], it is established that as of January 14, 1994, he was 50 years, 4 months, and 14 days old, that is, he met the age requirement established in Transitional Provision III of Law 7302. Now then, his special regime –the Treasury Regime– required, for a full pension, to have held a position as a member of the supreme branches of government and to complete thirty years of service in the public sector; and, for a proportional pension, more than ten. In accordance with the documentary evidence provided to the case file, the plaintiff worked for the public administration for a total of thirteen years, six months, and ten days (folios 12 to 15), and held the position of Minister of Finance in the period from May 8, 1978, to May 1981. Consequently, by that last date (January 14, 1994), he had already served for a period of more than ten years and had the status of former member of a supreme branch of government (it would be different in the cases where the regulation requires being an active servant, in which case the requirements must be met while maintaining such status); for which reason, he had exceeded the minimum service time for the pension to be granted to him. Consequently, the plaintiff does have the right to be granted a pension under the special Treasury Regime, proportional to the time served.” In Article 9 of Law No. 5875 of December 26, 1975, it was further amended: "Former members of the Supreme Powers protected by this Regime who are over sixty-five years of age shall be entitled to a pension of not less than two thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income allowing them to live decently." Subsequently, it was again amended by Law No. 6025 of December 20, 1976 (Article 9): "Former members of the Supreme Powers protected by this Regime who are over sixty years of age shall be entitled to a pension of not less than two thousand five hundred colones per month, provided they do not have other income allowing them to live decently." Later, it was also amended by Law No. 6191 of December 12, 1977 (Article 9), as follows: "Former members of the Supreme Powers, protected by this Regime who are over sixty years of age or their widows, shall be entitled to a pension of not less than three thousand five hundred colones per month, provided they do not have other income allowing them to live decently." By Article 20 of Law No. 6256 of April 28, 1978, it was amended again, a new paragraph being added, which provided: "Former members of the Supreme Powers not protected by other pension regimes who meet the indicated requirements may also avail themselves of the rights established in this article." That same year, it was amended, a new paragraph being added, by Article 9 of Law No. 6305 of December 21 (1978), as follows: "Former members of the Supreme Powers, protected by this regime, who are over sixty years of age or their widows, shall be entitled to a pension of not less than five thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income allowing them to live decently." By Law 6,406 of December 17, 1979 (Article 9), it was amended again: "Former members of the Supreme Powers, covered by this regime or their widows, shall be entitled to a pension of not less than five thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income allowing them to live decently." By Law No. 6542 of December 22, 1980 (Article 9), said Article 13 was amended as follows: "Former members of the Supreme Powers or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall be entitled to a pension of not less than ¢6,000.00 (six thousand colones). Those former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice presidents and their surviving spouses where applicable, over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, who may or may not have completed the full term for which they were elected, or under sixty years of age in case of need, shall also be entitled to a pension not less than that amount. The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any kind of deductions, except those provided for in Article 10 of this law and in Law No. 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and the corresponding proportion, in the case of child support (pensión alimenticia). The Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) is authorized to vary budget items to cover the obligations arising from this provision. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) must, ex officio, make the necessary adjustments in the payrolls to adapt them to the provisions of this law." It was amended again by Law No. 6700 of December 23, 1981 (Article 9), providing: "The fourth paragraph of Article 13 of the same law is amended, so that the text of the fourth and fifth paragraphs shall read: \"Article 13.- Former members of the Supreme Powers or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall be entitled to a pension of not less than ¢8,000.00 (eight thousand colones). Those former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice presidents and their spouses, where applicable surviving and over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, who may or may not have completed the full term for which they were elected, or under sixty years of age, shall also be entitled to a pension not less than that amount. The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any kind of deductions, except those provided for in Article 10 of this law and in Law No. 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and the corresponding proportion, in the case of child support (pensión alimenticia). The Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) is authorized to vary budget items to cover the obligations arising from this provision. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) must, ex officio, make the necessary adjustments in the payrolls to adapt them to the provisions of this law." A final paragraph is added to Article 13 of Law No. 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments, which shall read: \"This provision modifies the laws, articles, and sections that oppose it.\"" By Law No. 6811 of September 10, 1982 (Article 8, provision 183), it was amended as follows: "The fourth paragraph of Article 13 of the same law is amended so that the text of the fourth and fifth paragraphs shall read: Article 13: Former ministers of the Supreme Powers or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall be entitled to a pension of not less than ten thousand colones (¢10,000). Those former ministers of the Supreme Powers, including vice presidents and their surviving spouses, where applicable, over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, who may or may not have completed the full term for which they were elected; or under sixty years of age, shall also be entitled to a pension not less than said amount. The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any kind of deductions, except those provided for in Article 10 of this law and in Law No. 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and the corresponding proportion, in the case of child support (pensión alimenticia). The Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) is authorized to vary budget items in order to cover the obligations arising from this provision. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) must, ex officio, make the necessary adjustments to adapt them to the provisions of this law." Subsequently, an attempt was made to amend it again, by Law No. 6,831 of December 23, 1982 (Article 54); however, regarding that and other provisions, the law was returned without the corresponding sanction of the Executive Branch. By Law No. 6,914 of November 28, 1983 (Article 10), it was amended again, as follows: "Article 13.- The employees and officials of the Legislative Assembly and of the Comptroller General's Office (Contraloría General de la República), and those providing services in State dependencies and institutions, who are entitled to avail themselves of the benefits of this law, may request their retirement, with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned in the institution at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age. When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served. This pension regime shall be optional for deputies and former deputies, so they shall neither be protected by its benefits nor obliged to contribute financially to the respective fund when they communicate in writing to the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly that they do not wish to belong to the regime. The Directorate shall communicate those exclusions to the corresponding office, so that in those cases the deductions indicated in Article 10 of this law are not made. In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement pension shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years in the service of the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month. The years served as deputies shall be computed in addition to the other years served in the Public Administration, so that a minimum of ten years of service may thus be demonstrated. Former members of the supreme powers, including vice presidents, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of ten years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall be entitled to a retirement pension of not less than ten thousand colones per month. The surviving spouses of the aforementioned former officials shall have the same right. The pension of former deputies shall be increased each year by thirty percent on the amount of the pension they enjoy, without being subject to the years of service, and in no case may the total amount of the pension be greater than the total remuneration of the per diems (dietas) or salaries that a deputy earns monthly for committee and plenary sessions of the Legislative Assembly. The pensions referred to in this regime shall be subject to the following deductions: a) Those provided for in Article 10 of this law. b) Those indicated by Law No. 3808 of November 22, 1966. c) Contributions to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social). ch) Those indicated by the pension beneficiary to the Mechanized Technical Office (Oficina Técnica Mecanizada), and the corresponding proportion in the case of child support (pensión alimenticia). Transitional: The increase in the pensions of former deputies, referred to in the fourth paragraph of this Article 13, shall be recognized in full starting from the month of January 1983. The Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) is authorized to vary the corresponding budget items in order to cover the obligations established herein. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security (Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) must, ex officio, make the necessary adjustments in the corresponding payrolls to the retirements and pensions already granted, to adapt them to the provisions of this law." By Law No. 6,963 of July 30, 1984 (Article 46), it was amended as follows: "Article 46. Paragraph 5 of Article 13 of the Law of Public Treasury Pensions (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda) No. 148 of August 23, 1943 and its amendments, amended by Article 10 of Law No. 6914, is amended as follows: Former members of the supreme powers, including vice presidents, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of 10 years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall be entitled to a retirement pension of not less than 10 thousand colones per month. The surviving spouses of the aforementioned former officials and unmarried or disabled daughters shall have the same right." Subsequently, it underwent a new amendment, by Law No. 6995 (Article 123) of July 22, 1985, which provided: Article 123.- Paragraph five of Article 13 of the Law of Public Treasury Pensions (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda), No. 148 of August 23, 1948 and its amendments, is amended, the text of which shall read: "Former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice presidents and vice ministers..." (The rest of the paragraph is the same). It is authentically interpreted that former ministers and former vice ministers also include those who held the positions of Secretary and Undersecretary of State. Likewise, those persons who were given the rank of minister or vice minister.

It was also amended by Law No. 7007 of November 5, 1985 (Article 5), providing: "Article 5.- Article 13 of the Law of Public Treasury Pensions (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda), No. 148 of August 23, 1943 and its amendments, is modified, the text of which shall read: "Article 13.- The employees and officials of the Legislative Assembly and of the Comptroller General's Office (Contraloría General de la República), and those providing services in State dependencies and institutions, who are entitled to avail themselves of the benefits of this law, may request their retirement, with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned in the institution at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age. When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served. This pension regime shall be optional for deputies and former deputies, so they shall neither be protected by its benefits nor obliged to contribute financially to the respective fund when they communicate in writing to the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly that they do not wish to belong to the regime. The Directorate shall communicate those exclusions to the corresponding office, so that in those cases the deductions indicated in Article 10 of this law are not made. In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement pension shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years in the service of the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month. The years served as deputies shall be computed in addition to the other years served in the Public Administration, so that a minimum of ten years of service may thus be demonstrated. Former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice presidents and vice ministers, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of ten years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall be entitled to a retirement pension of not less than ten thousand colones per month. It is authentically interpreted that former ministers and former vice ministers also include those who held the positions of Secretary and Undersecretary of State. Likewise, those persons who were given the rank of minister or vice minister. The surviving spouses of the aforementioned former officials and unmarried or disabled daughters shall have the same right. The pension of former deputies retired under any of the pension regimes shall be increased each year by thirty percent on the amount of the pension they enjoy, without being subject to the years of service, and in no case may the total amount of the pension be greater than the total remuneration of the per diems (dietas) or salaries that a deputy earns monthly for committee and plenary sessions of the Legislative Assembly. The pensions referred to in this regime shall be subject to the following deductions: a) Those provided for in Article 10 of this law. b) Those indicated by Law No. 3808 of November 22, 1966. c) Contributions to the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social). ch) Those indicated by the pension beneficiary to the Mechanized Technical Office (Oficina Técnica Mecanizada), and the corresponding proportion in the case of child support (pensión alimenticia). The Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) shall transfer, to each regime, the sum necessary for it to cover the increase set by this law, for which it shall make the corresponding budget provisions." Finally, it was amended by Law No. 7018 of December 13, 1985 (Article 14), as follows: "38. Paragraph three of Article 13 of the Law of Public Treasury Pensions (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda), No. 148 of August 23, 1943 and its amendments, is modified, the text of which shall read: In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement pension shall be equal to the best salary earned in the last five years in the service of the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month." From the foregoing, we can conclude that from the enactment of Law No. 5664 of December 27, 1974, and the amendment made through Law No. 6256 of April 28, 1978, the benefits of the Public Treasury Pensions and Retirements Regime (Régimen de Pensiones y Jubilaciones de Hacienda) regulated by said provision were extended to those persons "former members of the Supreme Powers not protected by other pension regimes," that is, that once Law 6256 was in effect, it created in favor of Mr. [Name1] (since he was not covered by another regime) a legitimate expectation of a right to become eligible for a pension under the Public Treasury regime. On July 15, 1992, Law No. 7302 was enacted, which created the General Pensions Regime, charged to the National Budget. Through this law, the legislature unified the various special pension regimes charged to that Budget. Its Article 1 establishes that this Regime "...shall govern, henceforth, the granting of all retirements and pensions of the contributory regimes based on the provision of service to the State, originating prior to the entry into force of this Law and whose payment is charged to the National Budget. For officials who enter the service of the State after the entry into force of this Law, the provisions of Article 38 shall apply." Among the regimes contemplated in that Article 1 was the Public Treasury regime, provided for in Law 148 of August 23, 1943 and its amendments. This was provided in Article 2 of Decree No. 21996, which enacted the Regulations to said Law, stating: "The following are special contributory regimes subject to the General Pensions Regime in accordance with Article 1 of Law No. 7302: ...f) Public Treasury 148 and other employees. Law No. 148 of August 23, 1943." Consequently, in accordance with that first article of the Law, henceforth, pensions granted based on that special regime had to conform to the new general regime. Article 4 of Law 7302 provides: "The following shall be entitled to retirement: a) Servers who are at least sixty years of age, who have served the State and contributed to the special regime to which they belong for at least thirty years. b) Servers who are over sixty-five years of age and who have served and contributed to the special regime to which they belong for more than twenty years." But Transitional Provision III, as relevant, stated: "Those persons, whose age for a pension or retirement is set at sixty years and who, at the entry into force of this Law, are or have been servers of the regimes contemplated in this provision, may deduct one year from the retirement age for every two years served and contributed to the Public Administration. In any case, to be eligible for a pension or retirement, a minimum age of fifty-five years and the years served as determined by their regime shall be required. However, those for whom, upon the entry into force of this Law, less than eighteen months remain to be eligible for a pension or retirement according to the original requirements of the legislation being repealed, may obtain a pension or retirement upon fulfilling those requirements..." (emphasis ours). Said regulation entered into force upon its publication, on July 15, 1992, meaning the plaintiff could acquire the right to a proportional pension under Law 148 of August 23, 1943, up to eighteen months after that publication, i.e., until January 14, 1994, provided he met, according to Transitional Provision III of Law 7302 of July 8, 1992 transcribed, the 10 years of service and a minimum of 50 years of age (in accordance with the provisions of Article 13 of Law 148, as amended by Law No. 7007 of November 5, 1985 (Article 5)). In the case of Mr. [Name1], it is noted that by January 14, 1994, he was 50 years, 4 months, and 14 days old; that is, he met the age requirement established in Transitional Provision III of Law 7302. Now, his special regime – the Public Treasury regime – required, for a full pension, having held a position as a member of the supreme powers and completing thirty years of service in the public sector; and, for a proportional pension, more than ten. In accordance with the documentary evidence provided in the case file, the plaintiff worked for the public administration a total of thirteen years, six months, and ten days (folios 12 to 15), and held the position of Minister of Finance (ministro de hacienda) in the period between May 8, 1978, and the month of May 1981. Consequently, by that last date (January 14, 1994), he had already served for a period of more than ten years and had the status of a former member of a supreme power (it would be different in cases where the provision requires being an active server, in which case the requirements must be met while maintaining that status); for this reason, he had exceeded the minimum service time for the pension to be granted to him. Consequently, the plaintiff does have the right to be granted a pension from the special Public Treasury regime, proportional to the time served." **III.- ANALYSIS OF THE SPECIFIC CASE:** Before analyzing the arguments presented by the appellant, it is necessary to analyze the personal and employment history of Mr. [Name1]. The evidence brought to the case file proves that the plaintiff was born on September 16, 1943 (folio 8); he rendered services for the public sector during the following periods: for the Ministry of Finance from March 1967 to January 1969 (1 year and 11 months); he subsequently worked for that ministry, as minister, during the period from May 8, 1978, to April 16, 1981 (2 years and 11 months); and lastly, at the University of Costa Rica he worked from 1969 to May 1981. In total, he worked for the public administration for thirteen years, six months, and ten days (folios 12 to 15).

Now, the plaintiff claims his right to a pension based on Article 13 of Law No. 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments. This Chamber, in its vote number 622 of 9:50 a.m. on December 11, 2002, recounts the amendments that this provision has undergone, stating in this regard: “*This numeral 13 underwent various modifications, in the manner and order to be described.* *By law number 2417, of September 14, 1959 (Article 1), it was amended in the following sense:/ “**The officials or employees of the** ***Legislative Assembly*** **, of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic and of the former Control Center, may request their retirement with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age.** **When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served.** **In the case of deputies, the pension shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years.** **The years served as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly shall be counted toward those served in the Public Administration.”/Subsequently, with law number 2493 of May 11, 1960 (Article 1), the following paragraph was added: /“This pension regime shall be optional for Deputies. Consequently, they shall not be protected by its benefits nor obliged to contribute economically to the same, when they notify the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly that they do not wish to belong to that regime. The Directorate shall communicate these exclusions to the National Treasury, so that in those cases the deduction indicated in this same law is not made.” / In 1974, by Law No. 5664, of December 27, 1974 (Article 9), the following paragraph was added: /“The former members of the Supreme Powers protected by this Regime who are over seventy years of age, shall have the right to a pension of no less than two thousand colones per month.” /By Law No. 5696 of May 14, 1975 (Article 14), it was reformed as follows:/ “The former members of the Supreme Powers protected by this regime who are over sixty-five years of age, shall have the right to a pension of no less than two thousand colones per month.” /In Article 9, of Law No. 5875, of December 26, 1975, it was amended again: / “The former members of the Supreme Powers protected by this Regime who are over sixty-five years of age, shall have the right to a pension of no less than two thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live decently.” /Then, it was again reformed by Law No. 6025, of December 20, 1976 (Article 9): /“The former members of the Supreme Powers protected by this Regime who are over sixty years of age, shall have the right to a pension of no less than two thousand five hundred colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live decently.” /Later it was also amended by Law No. 6191, of December 12, 1977, (Article 9), in the following sense:/ “The former members of the Supreme Powers, protected by this Regime who are over sixty years of age or their widows, shall have the right to a pension of no less than three thousand five hundred colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live decently.” /By Article 20 of law number 6256, of April 28, 1978, it was amended again, adding a new paragraph, which provided: / “Likewise, former members of the Supreme Powers not protected by other pension regimes, who meet the indicated requirements, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article.” In that same year, it was reformed, adding a new paragraph, by Article 9 of Law No. 6305, of December 21 (1978), in the following sense: / “The former members of the Supreme Powers, protected by this regime who are over sixty years of age or their widows, shall have the right to a pension of no less than five thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live decently.” By law 6,406, of December 17, 1979 (Article 9), it was amended again: / “The former members of the Supreme Powers, covered by this regime* *or their widows, shall have the right to a pension of no less than five thousand colones per month, provided they do not have other income that allows them to live decently.” / By Law No. 6542, of December 22, 1980 (Article 9), said Article 13 was amended as follows: “The former members of the Supreme Powers or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall have the right to a pension of no less than ¢6,000.00 (six thousand colones).* *Those former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice-presidents and their surviving spouses as the case may be, over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, who may or may not have fully completed the period for which they were elected, or under sixty years of age in case of necessity, shall also have the right to a pension of no less than that amount.* *The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any type of deductions, except those contemplated in Article 10 of this law and in No. 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and the corresponding proportion, in the case of alimony.* *The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary budget lines to cover the obligations arising from this provision.* *The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security must make, ex officio on the payrolls, the necessary adjustments to conform them to the provisions of this provision.” /It was amended again by law number 6700. of December 23, 1981 (Article 9), providing:/ “Reform the fourth paragraph of Article 13 of the same law, so that the text of the fourth and fifth paragraphs reads: / \"Article 13.- The former members of the Supreme Powers or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall have the right to a pension of no less than ¢8,000.00 (eight thousand colones). Those former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice-presidents and their spouses, surviving as the case may be over sixty years of age not protected by this pension regime, who may or may not have fully completed the period for which they were elected, or under sixty years of age shall also have the right to a pension of no less than that amount. The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any type of deductions, except those contemplated in Article 10 of this law and in law number 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and the corresponding proportion, in the case of alimony. The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary budget lines, to cover the obligations arising from this provision. The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security must make, ex officio on the payrolls, the necessary adjustments to conform them to the provisions of this provision\". / Add a final paragraph to Article 13 of law No. 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments, which shall state: \"This provision amends the laws, articles, and sub-sections that oppose it.\" / By Law No. 6811, of September 10, 1982 (Article 8, provision 183), it was amended in the following sense: / “Reform the fourth paragraph of Article 13 of the same law so that the text of the fourth and fifth paragraphs reads: / Article 13: The former ministers of the Supreme Powers or their surviving spouses, protected by this regime, shall have the right to a pension of no less than ten thousand colones (¢10,000).* *Those former ministers of the Supreme Powers, included vice-presidents and their surviving spouses,* *as the case may be, over sixty years of age, not protected by this pension regime, who may or may not have fully completed the period for which they were elected; or under sixty years of age, shall also have the right to a pension of no less than that amount.* *The pensions referred to in this paragraph shall not be subject to any type of deductions, except those contemplated in Article 10 of this law and in law number 3808 of November 22, 1966, as well as those relating to contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social) and the corresponding proportion, in the case of alimony.* *The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary budget lines, in order to cover the obligations arising from this provision.* *The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security must make, ex officio, the necessary adjustments to conform them to the provisions of this provision.”*/ *Then, an attempt was made again to* *reform it, by law number 6,831, of December 23, 1982 (Article 54); however, regarding that and other provisions, the law was returned without the corresponding sanction of the Executive Branch./ By Law No. 6,914, of November 28, 1983 (Article 10), it was amended again, as follows: / \"Article 13.-The employees and officials of the Legislative Assembly and of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, and those who render their services in dependencies and institutions of the State, who have the right to avail themselves of the benefits of this law, may request their retirement, with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned in the institution at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age.* */ When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served. This pension regime shall be optional for deputies and former deputies, for which reason they shall not be protected by its benefits nor obliged to contribute economically to the respective fund, when they notify the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly in writing that they do not wish to belong to the regime. /The Directorate shall communicate these exclusions to the corresponding office, so that in those cases the deductions indicated in Article 10 of this law are not made. /In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years, in the service of the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month. / The years served as deputies shall be counted toward the other years served in the Public Administration, so that a minimum of ten years of service can be demonstrated. / The former members of the supreme powers, included vice-presidents, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of ten years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall have the right to a retirement of no less than ten thousand colones per month. The surviving spouses of the mentioned former officials shall have the same right. / The pension of former deputies shall increase each year by thirty percent over the amount of the pension they enjoy, without being subject to the years of service and, in no case, may the total amount of the pension be greater than the total remuneration of the per diems or salaries that a deputy earns monthly, for sessions of committee and plenary of the Legislative Assembly./The pensions referred to in this regime shall be subject to the following deductions: /a) Those contemplated in Article 10 of this law. / b) Those indicated by Law No. 3808 of November 22, 1966. / c) The contributions for the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social)./ ch) Those indicated by the beneficiary of the pension to the Oficina Técnica Mecanizada, and the corresponding proportion in the case of alimony. /Transitory: The increase in the pensions of former deputies, referred to in the fourth paragraph of this Article 13, shall be recognized in its entirety starting from the month of January 1983./ The Ministry of Finance is authorized to vary the corresponding budget lines, in order to cover the obligations established herein./ The National Pensions Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, must make ex officio, in the corresponding payrolls, the necessary adjustments to the retirements and pensions already granted, to conform them to the provisions of this law.”/By Law No. 6,963, of July 30, 1984 (Article 46), it was amended as follows:/ “Article 46. Reform the 5th paragraph of Article 13 of the Treasury Pensions Law (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda) No. 148 of August 23, 1944, and its amendments, amended by Article 10 of law number 6914 as follows: The former members of the supreme powers, included vice-presidents, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not protected by other retirement regimes provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of 10 years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall have the right to a retirement of no less than 10 thousand colones per month.* *The surviving spouses of the mentioned former officials and unmarried or disabled daughters shall have the same right”/Then, it underwent a new reform, by Law No. 6995 (Article 123), of July 22, 1985, where it was provided: / Article 123.- Reform the fifth paragraph of Article 13 of the Treasury Pensions Law (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda), No. 148 of August 23, 1948, and its amendments, the text of which shall read:/\"The former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice-presidents and vice-ministers...\" (The rest of the paragraph is the same). It is authentically interpreted that former ministers and former vice-ministers are also those who held positions of Secretary and Undersecretary of State. Also those persons who were given the rank of minister or vice-minister.\"/It was also reformed by Law No. 7007, of November 5, 1985 (Article 5), providing: /“Article 5.- Modify Article 13 of the Treasury Pensions Law (Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda), No. 148 of August 23, 1943, and its amendments, the text of which shall read: /\"Article 13.-The employees and officials of the Legislative Assembly and of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, and those who render their services in dependencies and institutions of the State, who have the right to avail themselves of the benefits of this law, may request their retirement, with the right to receive a pension equal to the average salary earned in the institution at the time of retirement, provided they have served more than thirty years and are over fifty years of age./When they have served less than thirty years but more than ten, the pension shall be proportional to the number of years served. This pension regime shall be optional for deputies and former deputies, for which reason they shall not be protected by its benefits nor obliged to contribute economically to the respective fund, when they notify the Directorate of the Legislative Assembly in writing that they do not wish to belong to the regime./The Directorate shall communicate these exclusions to the corresponding office, so that in those cases the deductions indicated in Article 10 of this law are not made./ In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement shall be equal to the average salary earned in the last five years, in the service of the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month.

/The years served as deputies shall be counted toward the other years served in the Public Administration, so that a minimum of ten years of service may thus be demonstrated./Former members of the Supreme Powers, including vice-presidents and vice-ministers, may avail themselves of the rights established in this article, if they are not covered by other retirement regimes, provided they have served the Public Administration for a minimum of ten years and are over fifty years of age, in which case they shall be entitled to a retirement pension of no less than ten thousand colones per month./It is authentically interpreted that former ministers and former vice-ministers also include those who held the positions of Secretary and Undersecretary of State. Likewise, those persons who were given the rank of minister or vice-minister./The surviving spouses of the aforementioned former officials and unmarried or disabled daughters shall have the same right./The pension of former deputies retired under any of the pension regimes shall be increased each year by thirty percent on the amount of the pension they enjoy, without being subject to the years of service and, in no case, may the total amount of the pension be greater than the total remuneration of the per diems or salaries that a deputy earns monthly, for committee and plenary sessions of the Legislative Assembly./The pensions referred to in this regime shall be subject to the following deductions:/a) Those contemplated in Article 10 of this law./b) Those indicated by Law No. 3808 of November 22, 1966./c) The contributions to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social./ch) Those indicated by the pension beneficiary for the Oficina Técnica Mecanizada, and the corresponding proportion in the case of alimony./The Ministerio de Hacienda shall transfer, to each regime, the sum necessary to cover the increase established by this law, for which it shall make the corresponding budgetary provisions."/Finally, it was amended by Law No. 7018, of December 13, 1985 (Article 14), in the following sense:/"38. The third paragraph of Article 13 of the Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda, No. 148 of August 23, 1943 and its amendments, is modified, and its text shall read:/In the case of deputies and former deputies, the retirement pension shall be equal to the best salary earned in the last five years, in the service of the Public Administration, and in no case may it be less than ten thousand colones per month". / From the foregoing we can conclude that since the enactment of Law No. 5664, of December 27, 1974, and the amendment made through Law No. 6256, of April 28, 1978, the benefits of the Pensiones y Jubilaciones de Hacienda Regime regulated by said norm were extended to those persons "former members of the Supreme Powers not covered by other pension regimes", that is, that once Law 6256 was in force, a right expectancy was created in favor of Mr. [Name1] (since he was not covered by another regime) to become entitled to a pension under the hacienda regime. On July 15, 1992, Law No. 7302 was enacted, which created the General Pension Regime, charged to the National Budget. Through this law, the legislator unified the various special pension regimes, charged to that Budget. Its Article 1 establishes that this Regime "...shall henceforth govern the granting of all retirement and other pensions of the contributory regimes that are based on the provision of services to the State, originated prior to the entry into force of this Law and whose payment is charged to the National Budget. For officials who enter state service after the entry into force of this Law, the provisions of Article 38 shall apply". Among the regimes contemplated in that Article 1 was the Hacienda regime, provided for in Law 148, of August 23, 1943 and its amendments. This was provided in Article 2 of Decree No. 21996, by which the Regulation to that Law was issued, when it stated: "The special contributory regimes subject to the General Pension Regime in accordance with Article 1 of Law No. 7302 are the following: ...f) Hacienda 148 and other employees. Law No. 148 of August 23, 1943". Consequently, in accordance with that first article of the Law, henceforth, pensions granted based on that special regime had to conform to the new general regime. Article 4 of Law 7302 provides: "The following shall have the right to claim retirement: a) Servers who are at least sixty years of age, who have served the State and contributed to the special regime to which they belong for at least thirty years, b) Servers who are more than sixty-five years of age and who have served and contributed to the special regime to which they belong for more than twenty years". But in Transitory Provision III, as relevant, it indicated: "Those persons, whose age for receiving a pension or retiring is set at sixty years and who, at the entry into force of this Law, are or have been servers of the regimes contemplated in this norm, may deduct from the retirement age one year for every two years served and contributed to the Public Administration./ In any case, to be able to receive a pension or retire, a minimum age of fifty-five years and the years served as determined by their regime shall be required./ However, those for whom, upon this Law entering into force, less than eighteen months remain to be able to receive a pension or retire according to the original requirements of the legislation being repealed, may receive a pension or retire upon fulfilling those requirements..." (the highlighting is ours). Said regulation entered into force upon its publication, on July 15, 1992, such that the plaintiff could acquire the right to a proportional pension under the protection of Law 148, of August 23, 1943, until eighteen months after that publication, that is, until January 14, 1994, provided he met, according to Transitory Provision III of Law 7302 of July 8, 1992 transcribed, the 10 years of service and a minimum of 50 years of age (in accordance with the provisions of Article 13 of Law 148, thus amended by Law No. 7007, of November 5, 1985 (Article 5). In the case of Mr. [Name1] , it is understood that as of January 14, 1994, he was 50 years, 4 months, and 14 days old, that is, he met the age requirement established in Transitory Provision III of Law 7302. However, his special regime –the Hacienda one– required him, for a full pension, to have held a position as a member of the supreme powers and to complete thirty years of service in the public sector; and, for a proportional pension, more than ten. In accordance with the documents provided to the case file, the plaintiff worked for the public administration a total of thirteen years, six months, and ten days (folios 12 to 15), and he held the position of Minister of Hacienda in the period between May 8, 1978, and the month of May 1981. Therefore, by that latter date (January 14, 1994), he had already served for a period of more than ten years and held the status of former member of a supreme power (it would be different in cases where the norm requires being an active server, in which case the requirements must be met while maintaining that status); which is why he had exceeded the minimum service time for the pension to be granted to him. Consequently, the plaintiff does have the right to be granted a pension from the special Hacienda regime, proportional to the time served."

“III.- ANÁLISIS DEL CASO EN CONCRETO: Previamente a analizar los argumentos que expone el recurrente, es necesario analizar los antecedentes personales y laborales de don [Nombre1] . Con la prueba que ha sido traída al expediente quedó acreditado que el actor nació el 16 de setiembre de 1943 (folio 8); prestó servicios para el sector público en los siguientes períodos: para el Ministerio de Hacienda a partir del mes de marzo de 1967 hasta enero de 1969 (1 año y 11 meses); posteriormente laboró para ese ministerio, como ministro, en el período comprendido entre el 8 de mayo de 1978 al 16 de abril de 1981 (2 años y 11 meses); y por último, en la Universidad de Costa Rica laboró desde el año 1969 hasta el mes de mayo de 1981. En total laboró para la administración pública un total de trece años, seis meses y diez días (folios 12 a 15). Ahora bien, el actor pretende su derecho a pensión con base en el artículo 13 de la Ley n° 148 del 23 de agosto de 1943 y sus reformas. Esta Sala, en su voto número 622 de las 9:50 horas del 11 de diciembre de 2002, hace un recuento de las reformas que ha sufrido esa norma, al respecto se indicó: “Este numeral 13 fue sufriendo diversas modificaciones, en la forma y en el orden que se dirá. Por la ley número 2417, del 14 de setiembre de 1959 (artículo 1°), se modificó en el siguiente sentido:/ “Los funcionarios o empleados de la Asamblea Legislativa, de la Contraloría General de la República y del antiguo Centro de Control, podrán pedir su jubilación con derecho a recibir una pensión igual al sueldo promedio devengado en el momento de jubilarse, siempre que hayan servido más de treinta años y tengan más de cincuenta años de edad. Cuando hayan servido menos de treinta años pero más de diez, la pensión será proporcional al número de años servidos. En el caso de los diputados la pensión será igual al sueldo promedio devengado en los últimos cinco años. Los años desempeñados como diputado a la Asamblea Legislativa se computarán a los servidos a la Administración Pública”./Posteriormente, con la ley número 2493 del 11 de mayo de 1960 (artículo 1°), se le adicionó el siguiente párrafo: /“Este régimen de pensiones será facultativo para los Diputados. En consecuencia, éstos no quedarán protegidos por sus beneficios ni obligados a contribuir económicamente para el mismo, cuando comuniquen al Directorio de la Asamblea Legislativa que no desean pertenecer a ese régimen. El Directorio comunicará a la Tesorería Nacional esas exclusiones, para que en esos casos no se haga la deducción señalada en esta misma ley”. / En 1974, por la ley N° 5664, del 27 de diciembre de 1974 (artículo 9), se le adicionó el siguiente párrafo: /“Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes protegidos por este Régimen que tengan una edad mayor de setenta años, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de dos mil colones mensuales”. /Por la ley N° 5696 del 14 de mayo de 1975 (artículo 14), se reformó así:/ “Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes protegidos por este régimen que tengan una edad mayor de sesenta y cinco años, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de dos mil colones mensuales”. /En el artículo 9, de la ley N° 5875, del 26 de diciembre de 1975, nuevamente se modificó: / “Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes protegidos por este Régimen que tengan una edad mayor de sesenta y cinco años, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de dos mil colones mensuales, siempre que no dispongan de otros ingresos que les permitan vivir con decoro”. /Luego, nuevamente se reformó por la ley N° 6025, del 20 de diciembre de 1976 (artículo 9): /“Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes protegidos por este Régimen que tengan una edad mayor de sesenta años, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de dos mil quinientos colones mensuales, siempre que no dispongan de otros ingresos que les permitan vivir con decoro”. /Más adelante también fue reformado mediante la ley N° 6191, del 12 de diciembre de 1977, (artículo 9), en el siguiente sentido:/ “Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes, protegidos por este Régimen que tengan una edad mayor de sesenta años o sus viudas, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de tres mil quinientos colones mensuales, siempre que no dispongan de otros ingresos que les permitan vivir con decoro”. /Por el artículo 20 de la ley número 6256, del 28 de abril de 1.978 nuevamente se modificó, agregándosele un nuevo párrafo, que disponía: / “Igualmente podrán acogerse a los derechos establecidos en este artículo los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes no protegidos por otros regímenes de pensión, que cumplan con los indicados requisitos”. En ese mismo año, fue reformado, adicionándosele un nuevo párrafo, mediante el artículo 9 de la ley N° 6305, del 21 de diciembre (1978), en el siguiente sentido: / “Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes, protegidos por este régimen que tengan una edad mayor de sesenta años o sus viudas, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de cinco mil colones mensuales, siempre que no dispongan de otros ingresos que les permitan vivir con decoro”. Por la ley 6.406, del 17 de diciembre de 1979 (artículo 9), nuevamente fue modificado: / “Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes, acogidos a este régimen o sus viudas, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de cinco mil colones mensuales, siempre que no dispongan de otros ingresos que les permitan vivir con decoro.” / Mediante la ley N° 6542, del 22 de diciembre de 1980 (artículo 9), dicho artículo 13 se modificó así: “Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes o sus cónyuges sobrevivientes, protegidos por este régimen, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de ¢6.000,00 (seis mil colones). Aquellos ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes, incluidos vicepresidentes y sus cónyuges sobrevivientes en su caso, mayores de sesenta años, no protegidos por este régimen de pensiones, que hubieren cumplido o no totalmente del período para el que fueron electos, o de menos de sesenta años en caso de necesidad, tendrán derecho también a una pensión no inferior a dicho monto. Las pensiones, a que se refiere ese párrafo, no estarán sujetas a ninguna clase de deducciones, excepto las contempladas en el artículo 10 de esta ley y en la N° 3808 del 22 de noviembre de 1966, así como las referentes a las cuotas para la Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social y la proporción correspondiente, en caso de pensión alimenticia. Se autoriza al Ministerio de Hacienda, a variar las partidas de presupuesto, para cubrir las obligaciones que de esta norma se deriven. El Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social deberá hacer, de oficio en las planillas, los reajustes necesarios para adecuarlas a lo dispuesto en la presente norma.” /Nuevamente fue modificado por la ley número 6700. del 23 de diciembre de 1981 (artículo 9), disponiéndose:/ “Refórmase el párrafo cuarto del artículo 13 de la misma ley, de modo que el texto de los párrafos cuarto y quinto digan: / "Artículo 13.- Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes o sus cónyuges sobrevivientes, protegidos por este régimen, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de ¢8.000,00 (ocho mil colones). Aquellos ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes, incluidos vicepresidentes y sus cónyuges, sobrevivientes en su caso mayores de sesenta años no protegidos por este régimen de pensiones, que hubiesen cumplido o no totalmente el período para el que fueron electos, o de menos de sesenta años tendrán derecho también a una pensión no inferior a dicho monto. Las pensiones, a que se refiere este párrafo, no estarán sujetas a ninguna clase de deducciones, excepto las contempladas en el artículo 10 de esta ley y en la ley número 3808 del 22 de noviembre de 1966, así como las referentes a las cuotas para la Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social y la proporción correspondiente, en caso de pensión alimenticia. Se autoriza al Ministerio de Hacienda a variar las partidas de presupuesto, para cubrir las obligaciones que de esta norma se deriven. El Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social deberá hacer, de oficio en las planillas, los reajustes necesarios para adecuarlas a lo dispuesto en la presente norma". / Agrégase un último párrafo al artículo 13 de la ley Nº 148 del 23 de agosto de 1943 y sus reformas, que dirá: "Esta norma modifica las leyes, artículos e incisos que se lo opongan." / Por la ley N° 6811, del 10 de setiembre de 1982 (artículo 8, norma 183), se modificó en el siguiente sentido: / “Refórmase el párrafo cuarto del artículo 13 de la misma ley de modo que el texto de los párrafos cuarto y quinto digan: / Artículo 13: Los ex ministros de los Supremos Poderes o sus cónyuges sobrevivientes, protegidos por este régimen, tendrán derecho a una pensión no menor de diez mil colones (¢10.000). Aquellos ex ministros de los Supremos Poderes, incluidos los vice presidentes y sus cónyuges sobrevivientes, en su caso, mayores de sesenta años, no protegidos por este régimen de pensiones, que hubiesen cumplido o no totalmente el período para el que fueron electos; o de menos de sesenta años, también tendrán derecho a una pensión no inferior a dicho monto. Las pensiones a que se refiere este párrafo, no estarán sujetas a ninguna clase de deducciones, excepto las contempladas en el artículo 10 de esta ley y en la ley número 3808 del 22 de noviembre de 1966, así como las referentes a las cuotas para la Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social y la proporción correspondiente, en caso de pensión alimenticia. Se autoriza al Ministerio de Hacienda para variar las partidas de presupuesto, a fin de cubrir las obligaciones de esta norma se deriven. El Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social deberán hacer, de oficio, los reajustes necesarios para adecuarlas a lo dispuesto en la presente norma.”/ Luego, trató nuevamente de reformarse, por la ley número 6.831, del 23 de diciembre de 1.982 (artículo 54); no obstante, en cuanto a esa y otras normas, la ley fue devuelta sin la correspondiente sanción del Poder Ejecutivo./ Por la ley N° 6.914, del 28 de noviembre de 1.983 (artículo 10), fue nuevamente modificado, de la siguiente manera: / "Artículo 13.-Los empleados y funcionarios de la Asamblea Legislativa y de la Contraloría General de la República, y los que presten sus servicios en dependencias e instituciones del Estado, que tengan derecho a acogerse a los beneficios de la presente ley, podrán pedir su jubilación, con derecho a recibir una pensión igual al sueldo promedio devengado en la institución al momento de jubilarse, siempre que hayan servido más de treinta años y tengan más de cincuenta años de edad. / Cuando hayan servido menos de treinta años pero más de diez, la pensión será proporcional al número de años servidos. Este régimen de pensiones será facultativo para los diputados y ex diputados, por lo que no quedarán protegidos por sus beneficios ni obligados a contribuir económicamente para el fondo respectivo, cuando comuniquen por escrito al Directorio de la Asamblea Legislativa que no desean pertenecer al régimen. /El Directorio comunicará a la oficina correspondiente esas exclusiones, para que en esos no se hagan las deducciones señaladas en el artículo 10 de esta ley. /En el caso de los diputados y ex diputados, la jubilación será igual al sueldo promedio devengado en los últimos cinco años, al servicio de la Administración Pública, y en ningún caso podrá ser menor de diez mil colones mensuales. / Los años desempeñados como diputados se computarán a los otros años servidos a la Administración Pública, para que así se puedan demostrar diez año de servicio como mínimo. / Los ex miembros de los supremos poderes, incluidos los vicepresidentes, podrán acogerse a los derechos establecidos en este artículo, si no están protegidos por otros regímenes de jubilación, siempre que hayan servido a la Administración Pública por un mínimo de diez años y tengan más de cincuenta años de edad, en cuyo caso tendrán derecho a una jubilación no menor de diez mil colones mensuales. Los cónyuges sobrevivientes de los mencionados ex funcionarios tendrán el mismo derecho. / La pensión de los ex diputados se incrementará cada año en un treinta por ciento sobre el monto de la pensión de que disfruten, sin sujeción a los años de servicio y, en ningún caso, el monto total de la pensión podrá ser mayor a la remuneración total de las dietas o salarios que devengue mensualmente un diputado, por concepto de sesiones de comisión y de plenario de la Asamblea Legislativa./Las pensiones a que se refiere este régimen estarán sujetas a las siguientes deducciones: /a) Las contempladas en el artículo 10 de esta ley. / b) Las que indica la ley Nº 3808 del 22 de noviembre de 1966. / c) Las cuotas para la Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social./ ch) Las que indique el beneficiario de la pensión a la Oficina Técnica Mecanizada, y la proporción correspondiente en caso de pensión alimenticia. /Transitorio: El incremento de las pensiones de los ex diputados, a que se refiere el párrafo cuarto de este artículo 13, se reconocerá en su totalidad a partir del mes de enero de 1983./ Se autoriza al Ministerio de Hacienda para variar las partidas del presupuesto correspondiente, con el fin de cubrir las obligaciones aquí establecidas./ El Departamento Nacional de Pensiones del Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, deberá hacer de oficio, en las planillas correspondientes, los reajustes necesarios a las jubilaciones y pensiones ya otorgadas, para adecuarlas a lo dispuesto en la presente ley.”/Por la ley N° 6.963, del 30 de julio de 1.984 (artículo 46), fue modificado así:/ “Artículo 46. Refórmase el párrafo 5° del artículo 13 de la Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda N° 148 del 23 de agosto de 1.94 y sus reformas, reformado por el artículo 10 de la ley número 6914 de la siguiente forma: Los ex miembros de los supremos poderes, incluidos los vicepresidentes podrán acogerse a los derechos establecidos en este artículo, si no están protegidos por otros regímenes de jubilación siempre que hayan servido a la Administración Pública por un mínimo de 10 años y tengan más de cincuenta años de edad, en cuyo caso tendrán derecho a una jubilación no menor de 10 mil colones mensuales. Los cónyuges sobrevivientes de los mencionados ex funcionarios y las hijas no casadas o inválidas tendrán el mismo derecho”./Luego, sufrió una nueva reforma, mediante la ley N° 6995 (artículo 123), del 22 de julio de 1.985, donde se dispuso: / Artículo 123.- Refórmase el párrafo quinto del artículo 13 de la ley de Pensiones de Hacienda, Nº 148 del 23 de agosto de 1948 y sus reformas, cuyo texto dirá:/"Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes, incluidos los vicepresidentes y viceministros..." (El resto del párrafo igual). Se interpreta auténticamente que los ex ministros y los ex viceministros también son aquellos que ocuparon cargos de Secretario y Subsecretario de Estado. Asimismo aquellas personas a quienes se les dio el rango de ministro o viceministro."/Fue reformado también por la ley N° 7007, del 5 de noviembre de 1985 (artículo 5), disponiéndose: /“Artículo 5º.- Modifícase el artículo 13 de la Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda, Nº 148 de 23 de agosto de 1943 y sus reformas, cuyo texto dirá: /"Artículo 13.-Los empleados y funcionarios de la Asamblea Legislativa y de la Contraloría General de la República, y los que presten sus servicios en dependencias e instituciones del Estado, que tengan derecho a acogerse a los beneficios de la presente ley, podrán pedir su jubilación, con derecho a recibir una pensión igual al sueldo promedio devengado en la institución al momento de jubilarse, siempre que hayan servido más de treinta años y tengan más de cincuenta años de edad./Cuando hayan servido menos de treinta años pero más de diez, la pensión será proporcional al número de años servidos. Este régimen de pensiones será facultativo para los diputados y ex diputados, por lo que no quedarán protegidos por sus beneficios ni obligados a contribuir económicamente para el fondo respectivo, cuando comuniquen por escrito al Directorio de la Asamblea Legislativa que no se desean pertenecer al régimen./El Directorio comunicará a la oficina correspondiente esas exclusiones, para que en esos casos no se hagan las deducciones señaladas en el artículo 10 de esta ley./ En el caso de los diputados y ex diputados, la jubilación será igual al sueldo promedio devengado en los últimos cinco años, al servicio de la Administración Pública, y en ningún caso podrá ser menor de diez mil colones mensuales. /Los años desempeñados como diputados se computarán a los otros años servidos a la Administración Pública, para que así se puedan demostrar diez años de servicio como mínimo./Los ex miembros de los Supremos Poderes, incluidos los vicepresidentes y viceministros podrán acogerse a los derechos establecidos en este artículo, si no están protegidos por otros regímenes de jubilación, siempre que hayan servido a la Administración Pública por un mínimo de diez años y tengan más de cincuenta años de edad, en cuyo caso tendrán derecho a una jubilación no menor de diez mil colones mensuales./Se interpreta auténticamente que los ex ministros y los ex viceministros también son aquellos que ocuparon cargos de Secretario y Subsecretario de Estado. Asimismo aquellas personas a quienes se les dio el rango de ministro o viceministro./Los cónyuges sobrevivientes de los mencionados ex funcionarios y las hijas no casadas o inválidas tendrán el mismo derecho./La pensión de los ex diputados jubilados por cualquiera de los regímenes de pensiones se incrementará cada año en su treinta por ciento sobre el monto de la pensión de que disfruten, sin sujeción a los años de servicio y, en ningún caso, el monto total de la pensión podrá ser mayor a la remuneración total de las dietas o salarios que devengue mensualmente un diputado, por concepto de sesiones de comisión y de plenario de la Asamblea Legislativa./Las pensiones a que se refiere este régimen estarán sujetas a las siguientes deducciones:/a) Las contempladas en el artículo 10 de esta ley./b) Las que indica la ley Nº 3808 del 22 de noviembre de 1966./c) Las cuotas para la Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social./ch) Las que indique el beneficiario de la pensión de la Oficina Técnica Mecanizada, y la proporción correspondiente en caso de pensión alimenticia./El Ministerio de Hacienda girará, a cada régimen, la suma necesaria para que pueda cubrir el incremento fijado por esta ley, para lo cual hará las previsiones presupuestarias correspondientes"./Finalmente fue reformado por la ley número 7018, del 13 de diciembre de 1985 (artículo 14), en el siguiente sentido:/“38. Modifícase el párrafo tercero del artículo13 de la Ley de Pensiones de Hacienda, N° 148 el 23 de agosto de 1943 y sus reformas, cuyo texto dirá:/En el caso de los diputados y ex diputados, la jubilación será igual al mejor sueldo devengado en los últimos cinco años, al servicio de la Administración Pública, y en ningún caso podrá ser menor de diez mil colones mensuales”. De lo anterior podemos concluir que desde la promulgación de la Ley n° 5664, del 27 de diciembre de 1974, y la reforma efectuada mediante Ley número 6256, del 28 de abril de 1978, se incorporó a los beneficios del Régimen de Pensiones y Jubilaciones de Hacienda regulado por dicha norma, a aquellas personas “exmiembros de los Supremos Poderes no protegidos por otros regímenes de pensión”, es decir, que una vez vigente la Ley 6256, se creó a favor de don [Nombre1] (al no encontrarse cubierto por otro régimen) una expectativa de derecho para hacerse acreedor de una pensión por el régimen de hacienda. El 15 de julio de 1992, fue promulgada la n° 7302, que creó el Régimen General de Pensiones, con cargo al Presupuesto Nacional. Mediante esta ley, el legislador unificó los distintos regímenes especiales de pensiones, con cargo a ese Presupuesto. En su artículo 1° establece que a ese Régimen “...se ajustará, en lo sucesivo, el otorgamiento de todas las jubilaciones y pensiones de los regímenes contributivos que tengan como base la prestación de servicio al Estado, originada con anterioridad a la entrada en vigencia de esta Ley y cuyo pago esté a cargo del Presupuesto Nacional. Para los funcionarios que ingresen a servir al Estado con posterioridad a la entrada en vigencia de esta Ley, se aplicará lo que dispone el artículo 38”. Dentro de los regímenes contemplados en ese artículo 1° estaba el de Hacienda, previsto en la Ley 148, del 23 de agosto de 1943 y sus reformas. Así se dispuso en el artículo 2, del Decreto n° 21996, por el cual se dictó el Reglamento a esa Ley, al indicarse: “Son regímenes especiales contributivos sometidos al Régimen General de Pensiones de acuerdo con el artículo 1 de la Ley N° 7302, los siguientes: ...f) Hacienda 148 y otros empleados. Ley N° 148 de 23 de agosto de 1943”. En consecuencia, de conformidad con ese artículo primero de la Ley, en lo sucesivo, las pensiones concedidas con base en ese régimen especial, debían ajustarse al nuevo régimen general. El artículo 4 de la Ley 7302 dispone: “Tendrán derecho a acogerse a la jubilación: a) Los servidores que tengan al menos sesenta años de edad, que hayan servido al Estado y cotizado para el régimen especial al que pertenezcan al menos por treinta años, b) Los servidores que tengan más de sesenta y cinco años de edad y que hayan servido y cotizado para el régimen especial al que pertenezcan por más de veinte años”. Pero en el Transitorio III, en lo que interesa indicó: “Aquellas personas, cuya edad para pensionarse o jubilarse quede establecida a los sesenta años y que, a la entrada en vigencia de esta Ley, sean o hayan sido servidores de los regímenes contemplados en esta norma, podrán descontar de la edad de retiro un año por cada dos de los años servidos y cotizados para la Administración Pública./ En todo caso, para poder pensionarse o jubilarse, se requerirá tener un mínimo de cincuenta y cinco años y los años servidos que determine su régimen./ No obstante, a quienes al entrar en vigencia esta Ley les falten menos de dieciocho meses para poder pensionarse o jubilarse según los requisitos originales de la legislación que se deroga, podrán pensionarse o jubilarse al cumplir aquellos requisitos...” (lo evidenciado es nuestro). Dicha normativa entró en vigencia a partir de su publicación, el 15 de julio de 1992, por lo que el actor podía adquirir derecho a la pensión proporcional al amparo de la Ley 148, del 23 de agosto de 1943, hasta dieciocho meses después de esa publicación, o sea hasta el 14 de enero de 1994, siempre y cuando cumpliera, según el transitorio III de la Ley 7302 del 8 de julio de 1992 transcrito, con los 10 años de servicio y un mínimo de 50 años de edad (de conformidad con lo dispuesto por el artículo 13 de la ley 148, así reformado por la Ley n° 7007, del 5 de noviembre de 1985 (artículo 5). En el caso de don [Nombre1] , se tiene que al 14 de enero de 1994, contaba con 50 años, 4 meses y 14 días, es decir, cumplía con el requisito de edad establecido en el Transitorio III de la Ley 7302. Ahora bien, su régimen especial –el de Hacienda- le exigía, para una pensión completa, haber ocupado un cargo como miembros de los supremos poderes y completar treinta años de servicio en el sector público; y, para una pensión proporcional, más de diez. De conformidad con la documental aportada a los autos, el actor laboró para la administración pública un total de trece años, seis meses y diez días (folios 12 a 15), y ocupó el cargo de ministro de hacienda en el período comprendido entre el 8 de mayo de 1978 y el mes de mayo de 1981. Por consiguiente, a esa última data (14 de enero de 1994), ya había servido por un período de más de diez años y tenía la condición de ex miembro de un supremo poder (distinto sería en los supuestos en que la norma exija ser servidor activo, en cuyo supuesto los requisitos deben alcanzarse mientras se mantenga tal condición); razón por la cual, había superado el mínimo de tiempo de servicio para que pudiera concedérsele la pensión. Consecuentemente, el demandante sí tiene derecho a que se le conceda una pensión del régimen especial de Hacienda, proporcional al tiempo servido.”