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 city he resides in, says he gambled all of it away on abroad on line casino websites, sources near the matter said Tuesday.

The person is unlikely to have the ability to return the money transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to his lawyer, who said a resolution by litigation is being thought-about.

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

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

Last Thursday, the city sued the man for around 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus authorized charges. In line with the town, 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 man's lawyer has refuted claims that he turned unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit in opposition to him, saying that police had kept his cellphone following voluntary questioning in April and Might.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 reduction money to every of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been accomplished, a town official mistakenly submitted a single switch request to a financial establishment for 46.3 million yen for the person whose name was at the prime of the list.

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