Administrative absurdity: her husband dies, a retiree must pay a pension of 137 euros per month to her deceased ex-wife

Une pension destinée à une femme morte. StockSnap/Pixabay

La veuve se voit prélever chaque mois depuis la mort de son mari une étrange indemnité destinée à une personne morte depuis longtemps. 

A grotesque situation. Gabriele, a German retiree, widowed for three years, is obliged to pay a pension of 140 euros to the ex-wife of her husband. So far this may seem normal. 

But the latter died long before her husband. She must therefore pay money to a person… who is already dead. Administrative absurdity sometimes causes incredible situations… Explanations.

Manfred was married to Gabriele more than thirty years ago. A happy marriage. But this was not his first marriage. Moreover, during his divorce, it was decided that he would have to pay his first wife a monthly retirement allowance, as reported by Focus. 

What he did until this first wife died. When his ex-wife died, the man was no longer obliged to pay her this sum since she was dead. The payment was therefore logically interrupted after he requested it to be stopped.

But when Manfred died three years ago, the levy reappeared. The survivor's pension received by Gabriele is thus cut by nearly 140 euros per month, and this for three years. She cannot block this payment herself since it is taken directly by the State from her account to be paid to her ex-wife – yes, yes she who died years ago.

Thinking of an error, she files a complaint to explain that the person is dead in order to interrupt this payment which currently represents around 5,000 euros at the moment total.

"I have to pay to a deceased person"

But legally, she is obliged to pay while her husband when he was alive did not have to. In fact it's because only her husband can ask to interrupt this payment. But since he is dead, it's impossible. 

The widow who finds this payment completely useless decided to file a complaint as the claim was unsuccessful. Zllz highlights the absurdity of the situation: "I have to pay to a deceased person".

But the court ruled in favor of the State: it was dismissed. Legally, her husband should have left her the right to ask to interrupt the payment.

The retiree who specifies that the money is not going to anyone since the recipient is dead will ask that we modify this law which obliges her to pay for a person dead because it is absurd. 

So absurdities can be found in all administrations, not just in France. The proof with this one which is German…