Everybody is talking about secret keys today. When I worked for a vendor of hardware security vaults used to store bank PINs, the master key was split over multiple smart cards, each held by a different senior executive. The modules themselves had fat RAM disks, case intrusion switches, and light sensors on their motherboard. Attempting to move or open one would wipe the ram drive.

Therefore it is vitally important to get the smartcard back *before* firing a senior executive.

Otherwise your hardware vendor may have to fly an engineer to your country. One who is comfortable using an angle grinder, knows exactly where to cut, and is patient enough not to make too many sparks.