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

A 24-year-old man mistakenly sent 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 be able to return the cash transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in response to his lawyer, who stated a resolution via litigation is being thought of.

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

Talking at a press conference Monday, the lawyer said the person had told him that he had moved the cash out of his account utilizing his smartphone. The lawyer said that the person lives alone and no one else is believed to be involved in the matter.

Last Thursday, the city sued the person for around 51 million yen for the total return of the funds plus legal fees. Based on the city, the man had refused to return the money, saying it was "moved from my account and cannot be returned. I'll atone for my sins."

The person's lawyer has refuted claims that he turned unreachable after the city filed the lawsuit against him, saying that police had stored his telephone following voluntary questioning in April and Might.

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 aid money 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 institution for 46.3 million yen for the man whose title was at the top of the record.

The whole quantity was transferred to the man's bank account on April 8.