[Claim for Share of Foreign Claims Settlement Commission Award]
Highlights
The Department of the Treasury requested a decision concerning whether an individual was entitled to a share of a Foreign Claims Settlement Commission award which was made to a club based in China. GAO found that the supporting affidavits and assertions by the club's former president and a member of its board of directors were not sufficient corroboration of the claim. In a prior decision, GAO recognized the difficulty in providing supporting evidence in cases under the China Claims Program and indicated that it would consider secondary evidence or other pertinent data. However, GAO also stated that uncorroborated statements or affidavits of claimants were not sufficient to support claims. Although GAO held that the claimant could not be awarded a part of the proceeds at this time, GAO stated that, if the individual should present additional corroboration in the future, his claim could again be considered. Accordingly, the entitlement was denied.