Man mistakenly sent 46.3 mil. yen in COVID funds gambles all of it 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 overseas on line casino websites, sources close to the matter mentioned Tuesday.

The man is unlikely to be able to return the money transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, based on his lawyer, who said a decision through litigation is being considered.

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

Talking at a press conference Monday, the lawyer mentioned the person had advised him that he had moved the cash out of his account utilizing his smartphone. The lawyer stated 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 round 51 million yen for the full return of the funds plus legal 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'll atone for my sins."

The person's lawyer has refuted claims that he became unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit in opposition to him, saying that police had saved his telephone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 relief cash to each of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been completed, a town official mistakenly submitted a single switch request to a financial establishment for 46.3 million yen for the person whose title was at the prime of the record.

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