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 city he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad casino websites, sources close to the matter mentioned Tuesday.

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

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 mentioned the man had told him that he had moved the cash out of his account utilizing his smartphone. The lawyer stated that the person lives alone and nobody else is believed to be involved within the matter.

Final Thursday, the city sued the man for round 51 million yen for the total return of the funds plus legal charges. In line 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 man's lawyer has refuted claims that he turned unreachable after the city filed the lawsuit in opposition to him, saying that police had stored his phone following voluntary questioning in April and Might.

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 completed, a city official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary establishment for 46.3 million yen for the man whose name was on the high of the checklist.

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