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 reduction money by the western Japan city he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad casino sites, sources near the matter stated Tuesday.

The man is unlikely to have the ability to return the money transferred to him in error by the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, based on his lawyer, who mentioned a resolution through litigation is being thought-about.

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

Speaking at a press conference Monday, the lawyer stated the man had advised 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.

Last Thursday, the city sued the person for around 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus authorized charges. According to the city, 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 grew to become unreachable after the city filed the lawsuit against him, saying that police had saved his phone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 reduction cash 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 title was on the high of the record.

The whole amount was transferred to the person's bank account on April 8.