Man mistakenly sent 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 relief cash by the western Japan city he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad on line casino websites, sources near the matter mentioned Tuesday.

The person is unlikely to have the ability to return the money transferred to him in error by the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in response to his lawyer, who said a decision by means of litigation is being considered.

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

Talking at a press conference Monday, the lawyer mentioned the man had told him that he had moved the cash out of his account utilizing his smartphone. The lawyer mentioned that the person lives alone and no one else is believed to be involved within the matter.

Final Thursday, the city sued the man for round 51 million yen for the total return of the funds plus authorized fees. In accordance with the city, the man had refused to return the cash, saying it was "moved from my account and can't be returned. I'll atone for my sins."

The man's lawyer has refuted claims that he turned unreachable after the city filed the lawsuit towards him, saying that police had stored his cellphone following voluntary questioning in April and Might.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 aid money to every of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been completed, a city official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary establishment for 46.3 million yen for the person whose identify was on the top of the record.

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