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

The man is unlikely to be able to return the cash transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in line with his lawyer, who said a resolution via litigation is being thought-about.

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

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

Last Thursday, the city sued the man for round 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus legal fees. According to the town, 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 person's lawyer has refuted claims that he became unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit towards him, saying that police had kept his telephone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 reduction cash to every of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been accomplished, a city official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a financial institution for 46.3 million yen for the man whose name was on the high of the list.

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