(a) For authorized personnel. Authorized personnel having in their possession military payment certificates that were acquired legitimately may exchange those certificates for U.S. currency, coin, or dollar instruments, including U.S. Treasury dollar checks under the following conditions:
(1) Upon departure for the United States.
(2) When traveling under competent orders to areas where military payment certificates are not designated for use.
(3) When traveling under competent orders to military payment certificate areas where finance and accounting officers, Class ``B'' Agent Officers, including military attache agent officers, or exchange facilities are not readily available to the traveler.
(b) The provisions of this section will not be construed as authorizing finance and accounting officers or their agents in areas outside of military payment certificate areas to convert military payment certificates for authorized personnel returning from MPC areas. Such exchange must be made prior to departure from the MPC area.
(c) Conversion of Military Payment Certificates suspected of being acquired illegitimately. Military payment certificates will not be converted for any holder under circumstances where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the holder was not an authorized person at the time of acquisition or that the certificates were acquired by the holder, or by another with the holder's knowledge, from a person not authorized to possess or use them. Amounts of certificates exceeding those which the holder would normally acquire or hold under applicable circumstances as prescribed by local regulations will not be approved for conversion unless the holder shows by a preponderance of evidence that they were acquired legitimately. Where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the military payment certificates were not acquired legitimately, they will be impounded and retained pending an administrative determination as to the source of acquisition. If it is determined that the individual concerned was not an authorized person at the time of acquisition, the certificates will be confiscated and the dollar proceeds deposited in the Treasury to the General Fund (Miscellaneous) Receipt Account 211099, ``Fines, penalties and forfeitures not otherwise classified.'' If it is determined that the individual concerned was an authorized person at the time of acquisition, or that the certificates belong to an authorized person, the certificates or their dollar value will be returned to the owner unless there are reasonable grounds to believe the certificates were acquired by the holder or another with the holder's knowledge from an unauthorized person. If it is determined that the certificates were acquired from an unauthorized person, the certificates will be confiscated and the dollar proceeds deposited in the Treasury to the General Fund (Miscellaneous) Receipt Account 211099, ``Fines, penalties and forfeitures not otherwise classified.'' Collection vouchers affecting these deposits will cite claimants' names and sufficient information to permit ready identification of the deposits in order to facilitate the processing of any subsequent claims for amounts so deposited.
(d) Transactions with disbursing officers of other services. Dollar instruments may be exchanged for military payment certificates or military payment certificates for dollar instruments in transactions with Navy and Air Force disbursing officers and their agents. Major overseas commanders may specifically authorize such transactions with other disbursing officers of the United States Government and their agents.