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 reduction cash by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled all of it away on overseas casino sites, sources near the matter mentioned Tuesday.

The man is unlikely to be able to return the money transferred to him in error by the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in keeping with his lawyer, who said a decision by litigation is being thought of.

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

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

Final Thursday, the city sued the person for around 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus legal charges. In response to the town, the man had refused to return the cash, saying it was "moved from my account and can't be returned. I will 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 telephone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 relief money to each of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been completed, a town official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary establishment for 46.3 million yen for the person whose identify was on the prime of the checklist.

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