Public Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19] as amended as at 28 October 2016 (2) Where any public resources have been written off in terms of subsection (1)(b) or (c) during any financial year, the Minister shall lay before the National Assembly, within thirty days before or not later than thirty days after the end of that financial year, a statement of the public resources so written off. (3) Any investment made in terms of subsection (1)(e) shall, when it is realised, be repaid to the fund or account from which the money was withdrawn for the purpose of making such investment. (4) Any refund made in terms of subsection (1)(f) shall be paid out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund which is hereby appropriated to the purpose. 12 Loss or destruction of or damage to State property (1) If it comes to the notice of an accounting officer that there is any deficiency in, or destruction of or damage to, State property, he or she shall cause an investigation to be held into the circumstances of such deficiency, destruction or damage, as the case may be. (2) If after an investigation in terms of subsection (1) the accounting officer considers that— (a) any person is responsible for the deficiency, destruction or damage, being a person who is or was in the employment of the State at the time of such deficiency, destruction or damage, as the case may be; and (b) a satisfactory explanation in respect of the matter has not been furnished; he or she shall report the matter to the Secretary with a recommendation as to the action that he or she considers should be taken to recover the cost of the replacement of the property concerned, if it has been lost or destroyed, or the cost of the repairs thereto, if it has been damaged, as the case may be, or any portion of such cost. (3) On receipt of a report in terms of subsection (2) and after considering the recommendation of the accounting officer and consulting such other bodies or persons as he or she considers should be consulted, the Secretary may make an order against the person referred to in subsection (2) requiring him or her to pay to the State an amount equal to the cost of the replacement of the property concerned, if it has been lost or destroyed, or the cost of repairs thereto, if it has been damaged, as the case may be, or such portion of that cost as the Secretary considers to be equitable in the circumstances: Provided that the Secretary may, before making an order in terms of this subsection, remit the matter to the accounting officer for further investigation or consideration. (4) The Secretary shall withdraw an order made in terms of subsection (3) if it appears to him or her that the order should not have been made. (5) The Secretary may, by notice in a statutory instrument, delegate the powers conferred on him or her by subsections (3) and (4) to an accounting officer and in that case— (a) it shall not be necessary for a report to be made in terms of subsection (2) and the powers conferred by subsection (3) may be exercised after the investigation in terms of subsection (1); (b) the references in subsections (3) and (4) to the Secretary shall be read as references to the accounting officer concerned. - 14 -