Man mistakenly despatched 46.3 mil. yen in COVID funds gambles all of it away

A 24-year-old man mistakenly sent 46.3 million yen ($360,000) in COVID-19 aid cash by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled all of it away on abroad casino sites, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

The man is unlikely to have the ability to return the money transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to his lawyer, who said a resolution via litigation is being thought-about.

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

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

Final Thursday, the town sued the person for round 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus authorized charges. In line with 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 became 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 switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 aid cash to each of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been accomplished, a city official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary institution for 46.3 million yen for the person whose name was at the prime of the checklist.

Your complete quantity was transferred to the person's checking account on April 8.