U.S Code last checked for updates: Apr 19, 2024
§ 1627.
Creation of special funds in Treasury
(a)
Credits to, and payment from funds

There are created in the Treasury of the United States (1) a special fund to be known as the Yugoslav Claims Fund; and (2) such other special funds as may, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Treasury, be required, each to be a claims fund to be known by the name of the foreign government which has entered into a settlement agreement with the Government of the United States as described in subsection (a) of section 1623 of this title. There shall be covered into the Treasury to the credit of the proper special fund all funds hereinafter specified. All payments authorized under section 1626 of this title shall be disbursed from the proper fund, as the case may be, and all amounts covered into the Treasury to the credit of the aforesaid funds are permanently appropriated for the making of the payments authorized by section 1626 of this title.

(b)
Credits to Yugoslav Claims Fund; credits to other funds
The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to cover into—
(1)
the Yugoslav Claims Fund the sum of $17,000,000 being the amount paid by the Government of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia pursuant to the Yugoslav Claims Agreement of 1948;
(2)
a special fund created for that purpose pursuant to subsection (a) of this section any amounts hereafter paid, in United States dollars, by a foreign government which has entered into a claims settlement agreement with the Government of the United States as described in subsection (a) of section 1623 of this title.
(c)
Payment of awards
The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed out of the sums covered, prior to July 24, 1968, into any of the funds pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and after making the deduction provided for in section 1626(b)(1) of this title
(1)
to make payments in full of the principal of awards of $1,000 or less, certified pursuant to section 1624 of this title;
(2)
to make payments of $1,000 on the principal of each award of more than $1,000 in principal amount, certified pursuant to section 1624 of this title;
(3)
to make additional payment of not to exceed 25 per centum of the unpaid principal of awards in the principal amount of more than $1,000;
(4)
after completing the payments prescribed by paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, to make payments, from time to time in ratable proportions, on account of the unpaid principal of all awards in the principal amount of more than $1,000, according to the proportions which the unpaid principal of such awards bear to the total amount in the fund available for distribution at the time such payments are made; and
(5)
after payment has been made of the principal amounts of all such awards, to make pro rata payments on account of accrued interest on such awards as bear interest.
(d)
Payment of balance to Yugoslav Government; certification of adjudication costs; finality of certification

The Secretary of the Treasury, upon the concurrence of the Secretary of State, is authorized and directed, out of the sum covered into the Yugoslav Claims Fund pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, after completing the payments of such funds pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, to make payment of the balance of any sum remaining in such fund to the Government of the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia to the extent required under article 1(c) of the Yugoslav Claims Agreement of 1948. The Secretary of State shall certify to the Secretary of the Treasury the total cost of adjudication, not borne by the claimants, attributable to the Yugoslav Claims Agreement of 1948. Such certification shall be final and conclusive and shall not be subject to review by any other official, or department, agency, or establishment of the United States.

(e)
Payments; priorities
Except as provided in subsection (f), the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed out of sums covered, subsequent to July 24, 1968, into any special fund created pursuant to this section to make payment on account of awards certified by the Commission pursuant to this subchapter with respect to claims included within the terms of a claims settlement agreement concluded between the Government of the United States and a foreign government as described in section 1623(a) of this title, as follows and in the following order of priority:
(1)
Payment in the amount of $1,000 or the principal amount of the award, whichever is less;
(2)
Thereafter, payments from time to time on account of the unpaid principal balance of each remaining award which shall bear to such unpaid principal balance the same proportion as the total amount available for distribution at the time such payments are made bears to the aggregate unpaid principal balance of all such awards; and
(3)
Thereafter, payments from time to time on account of the unpaid balance of each award of interest which shall bear to such unpaid balance of interest, the same proportion as the total amount available for distribution at the time such payments are made bears to the aggregate unpaid balance of interest of all such awards.
(f)
People’s Republic of China; claim payment priorities
(1)
Out of sums covered after May 11, 1979, into the special fund created pursuant to this section to receive funds paid by the People’s Republic of China, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to make payments on account of awards certified by the Commission pursuant to subchapter V with respect to claims included within the terms of the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the People’s Republic of China Concerning the Settlement of Claims, signed on May 11, 1979, in the following order of priority:
(A)
Payment in the amount of $1,000 or the principal amount of the award, whichever is less.
(B)
Thereafter, except as provided in paragraph (2), to the extent there remain unpaid principal balances on awards, payments from time to time on account of the unpaid principal balance of each remaining award which bear to such unpaid principal balance the same proportion as the total amount available for distribution at the time such payments are made bears to the aggregate unpaid principal balance of all such awards.
(C)
Thereafter, payments from time to time on account of the unpaid balance of each award of interest which bear to such unpaid balance of interest the same proportion as the total amount available for distribution at the time such payments are made bears to the aggregate unpaid balance of interest of all such awards.
(2)
(A)
(B)
To the extent that there remain unpaid principal balances on awards to claimants which were, on the date of nationalization or other taking of property, nonprofit organizations operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare, religious, charitable, or educational purposes (after payments made to such nonprofit organizations pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) are taken into account), the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to make payments from time to time on account of the unpaid principal balance of each remaining award to such nonprofit organizations which bear to such unpaid principal balance the same proportion as the total sums aggregated pursuant to subparagraph (A) at the times such payments are made bear to the aggregate unpaid principal balance of all such awards to nonprofit organizations.
(g)
Authority to invest and recover expenses from funds

The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to invest the amounts held respectively in the “special funds” established by this section in public debt securities with maturities suitable for the needs of the separate accounts and bearing interest at rates determined by the Secretary, taking into consideration the average market yield on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States of comparable maturities. The interest earned on the amounts in each special fund shall be used to make payments, in accordance with subsection (c), on awards payable from that special fund.

(Mar. 10, 1950, ch. 54, title I, § 8, 64 Stat. 17; Aug. 9, 1955, ch. 645, § 1, 69 Stat. 562; Pub. L. 90–421, § 1(4), (5), July 24, 1968, 82 Stat. 420; Pub. L. 96–445, Oct. 13, 1980, 94 Stat. 1891; Pub. L. 99–514, § 2, Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2095; Pub. L. 100–204, title I, § 142(a), Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1350.)
cite as: 22 USC 1627