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 money by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled it all away on overseas casino sites, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

The person is unlikely to have the ability to return the cash transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in keeping with his lawyer, who said a decision via litigation is being considered.

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

Talking at a press convention Monday, the lawyer said the person had instructed him that he had moved the money out of his account using his smartphone. The lawyer said that the man lives alone and nobody else is believed to be concerned in the matter.

Last Thursday, the city sued the person for round 51 million yen for the total return of the funds plus authorized charges. According to the town, the person had refused to return the cash, saying it was "moved from my account and can't be returned. I'll atone for my sins."

The man's lawyer has refuted claims that he grew to become unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit against him, saying that police had kept his cellphone following voluntary questioning in April and May.

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 reduction 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 establishment for 46.3 million yen for the man whose identify was at the prime of the list.

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