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

The person is unlikely to be able to return the cash transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in accordance with his lawyer, who mentioned a resolution via litigation is being thought of.

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

Speaking at a press conference Monday, the lawyer said the person had told him that he had moved the money out of his account utilizing 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 man for around 51 million yen for the complete return of the funds plus authorized fees. In accordance with the town, the person had refused to return the cash, saying it was "moved from my account and can't be returned. I will atone for my sins."

The man's lawyer has refuted claims that he grew to become unreachable after the city filed the lawsuit in opposition to 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 establishment for 46.3 million yen for the man whose name was at the high of the record.

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