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

A 24-year-old man mistakenly despatched 46.3 million yen ($360,000) in COVID-19 relief money by the western Japan city he resides in, says he gambled it all away on abroad on line casino websites, sources close to the matter mentioned Tuesday.

The man is unlikely to have the ability to return the cash transferred to him in error by the city of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in response to his lawyer, who mentioned a decision through litigation is being thought-about.

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 convention Monday, the lawyer said the person had instructed him that he had moved the money out of his account using his smartphone. The lawyer said that the person lives alone and no one else is believed to be concerned within the matter.

Last Thursday, the town sued the man for around 51 million yen for the total return of the funds plus authorized charges. In response to the town, the man had refused to return the money, saying it was "moved from my account and cannot be returned. I'll atone for my sins."

The man's lawyer has refuted claims that he grew to become unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit against him, saying that police had saved his telephone following voluntary questioning in April and May.

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 accomplished, a town official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary institution for 46.3 million yen for the person whose identify was at the high of the record.

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