DiMasi gets pension reinstated

Former House Speaker Sal DiMasi will soon be getting a monthly a pension check.

A judge has restored the pension for former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi while he awaits trial on federal corruption charges.

In a ruling handed down Monday, Boston Municipal Court Judge Lawrence McCormick said DiMasi was entitled to the nearly $5,000-per-month stipend and ordered that he be repaid the amount withheld so far.

The ruling does not bar the state from stopping DiMasi's pension if he were to be convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.

During a hearing June 30, McCormick had said prosecutors seemed to be "getting it both ways" since DiMasi was being denied his pension before trial and his defense was being inhibited by a lack of income.

An assistant attorney general argued that the suspension was warranted to protect the state's retirement assets and avoid a restitution process if DiMasi loses the case.