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 aid cash by the western Japan city he resides in, says he gambled it all away on overseas casino websites, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.

The person 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 of.

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

Talking at a press convention Monday, the lawyer stated the person had instructed him that he had moved the money out of his account using his smartphone. The lawyer said that the man lives alone and nobody else is believed to be involved in the matter.

Last Thursday, the city sued the man for round 51 million yen for the full return of the funds plus legal charges. In response to the city, the man 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 city filed the lawsuit against him, saying that police had saved his phone following voluntary questioning in April and Could.

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 relief money to each of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been completed, a town official mistakenly submitted a single switch request to a monetary establishment for 46.3 million yen for the person whose name was on the prime of the listing.

The entire quantity was transferred to the man's checking account on April 8.