Man mistakenly despatched 46.3 mil. yen in COVID funds gambles it all away

A 24-year-old man mistakenly despatched 46.3 million yen ($360,000) in COVID-19 aid cash by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad on line casino websites, sources close to the matter mentioned Tuesday.

The man is unlikely to have the ability to return the cash transferred to him in error by the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in response to his lawyer, who said a resolution by way of litigation is being thought-about.

Abu Mayor Norihiko Hanada speaks to reporters on Could 12, 2022, on the Abu city workplace in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo)

Speaking at a press conference Monday, the lawyer stated the person had advised him that he had moved the cash out of his account using his smartphone. The lawyer said that the man lives alone and no one else is believed to be involved within the matter.

Final Thursday, the town sued the man for around 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus authorized charges. According to the town, the man had refused to return the money, saying it was "moved from my account and cannot be returned. I will atone for my sins."

The man's lawyer has refuted claims that he turned unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit towards him, saying that police had saved his phone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 aid cash to every of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been accomplished, a town official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary establishment for 46.3 million yen for the man whose name was on the top of the list.

Your complete quantity was transferred to the person's bank account on April 8.