Man mistakenly sent 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 abroad on line casino sites, sources close to the matter mentioned Tuesday.

The person is unlikely to have the ability to return the cash transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in line with his lawyer, who said a decision by way of litigation is being thought-about.

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

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

Last Thursday, the town sued the person for around 51 million yen for the total return of the funds plus authorized charges. In accordance 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 in opposition to him, saying that police had saved his telephone 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 accomplished, a town official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a financial institution for 46.3 million yen for the person whose name was on the prime of the checklist.

The complete quantity was transferred to the man's bank account on April 8.