Crossword Genius

Small figure, nation investing payment finally, after day (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

statuette

'small figure' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'nation investing payment finally after day' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'day' could be 'tue' (abbreviation for Tuesday) and 'tue' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

(Other definitions for statuette that I've seen before include "Small sculpture" , "Figurine, a small carving" , "Small carved or moulded figure" , "Small figure's" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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