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

A 24-year-old man mistakenly despatched 46.3 million yen ($360,000) in COVID-19 aid money by the western Japan city he resides in, says he gambled all of it away on abroad on line casino sites, sources close to 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 response to his lawyer, who stated a decision via litigation is being thought of.

Abu Mayor Norihiko Hanada speaks to reporters on May 12, 2022, on the Abu town office 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 money out of his account utilizing his smartphone. The lawyer stated that the man lives alone and nobody else is believed to be concerned within the matter.

Final Thursday, the city sued the man for round 51 million yen for the full return of the funds plus authorized fees. In keeping with the city, 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 grew to become unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit towards him, saying that police had stored his cellphone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 relief money to every of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been completed, a city official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a financial institution for 46.3 million yen for the man whose title was at the prime of the list.

The complete quantity was transferred to the man's checking account on April 8.