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 relief cash by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad casino sites, sources near the matter stated Tuesday.

The person is unlikely to be able to return the cash transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in keeping with his lawyer, who mentioned a resolution by litigation is being considered.

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

Speaking at a press convention Monday, the lawyer said the man had told him that he had moved the cash out of his account utilizing his smartphone. The lawyer said that the man lives alone and no one else is believed to be concerned within the matter.

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

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

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 aid cash to every of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been completed, a town official mistakenly submitted a single switch request to a monetary institution for 46.3 million yen for the person whose name was at the prime of the checklist.

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