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 town he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad casino websites, sources near the matter said Tuesday.

The person is unlikely to be able to return the money transferred to him in error by the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to his lawyer, who mentioned a decision by way of litigation is being thought-about.

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

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

Last Thursday, the city sued the man for around 51 million yen for the full return of the funds plus legal charges. Based on 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 city filed the lawsuit towards him, saying that police had saved his cellphone following voluntary questioning in April and May.

On April 6, after procedures to switch 100,000 yen in COVID-19 relief cash to each 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 man whose identify was on the high of the checklist.

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