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 money by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad on line casino websites, sources near the matter stated Tuesday.

The person is unlikely to have the ability to return the cash transferred to him in error by the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in response to his lawyer, who stated 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)

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

Final Thursday, the town sued the man for around 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus authorized fees. According to the city, the person had refused to return the cash, saying it was "moved from my account and cannot be returned. I will atone for my sins."

The man's lawyer has refuted claims that he grew to become unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit against him, saying that police had stored his telephone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 relief money to each of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been accomplished, a town official mistakenly submitted a single switch request to a monetary institution for 46.3 million yen for the man whose name was on the top of the listing.

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