Request for Relief From Liability for Money Lost in Shipment From State Department to American Embassy

A shipment of money was lost while enroute to the American Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay. The money was shipped by diplomatic pouch from the Department of State to the Embassy in Asuncion. The pouch did not reach this destination and has never been recovered. Relief was granted to the cashier based on the determination that the loss occurred without fault or negligence on the cashier's part. While the loss in question was chargeable to the cashier's account, she was not the only accountable officer with respect to the loss. In a case like this, relief from liability must be requested for every person whose account is chargeable with the loss. The loss could not possibly have been attributable in any way to the cashier since she was not involved in packaging or shipping funds and the funds never reached her. Nevertheless, the granting of relief to her was necessary to clear her account. In addition, relief was also granted to the employee who disbursed the money and to the Chief of the Mail and Pouch Branch. To prevent recurrence of this type of loss, shipments will no longer be made via APO. Rather, in the future, the Chief of the Mail and Pouch Branch will arrange special shipment for all posts which normally use APO.