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 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 by litigation is being thought of.

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 conference Monday, the lawyer said the man had advised him that he had moved the cash out of his account using his smartphone. The lawyer stated that the person lives alone and nobody else is believed to be involved in the matter.

Final Thursday, the city sued the man for around 51 million yen for the full return of the funds plus authorized charges. According to the city, the man 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 became unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit in opposition to him, saying that police had stored his cellphone following voluntary questioning in April and May.

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 aid money 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 top of the list.

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