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 reduction cash by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled all of it away on abroad on line casino sites, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

The man is unlikely to have the ability to return the money transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in line with his lawyer, who stated a resolution through litigation is being thought of.

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

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

Final Thursday, the city sued the person for round 51 million yen for the total return of the funds plus authorized fees. In line with the town, the person had refused to return the money, saying it was "moved from my account and cannot be returned. I will atone for my sins."

The person'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 aid cash to each of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been accomplished, a town official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary institution for 46.3 million yen for the man whose title was at the high of the record.

Your entire quantity was transferred to the man's checking account on April 8.