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

A 24-year-old man mistakenly despatched 46.3 million yen ($360,000) in COVID-19 aid money by the western Japan city he resides in, says he gambled all of it away on abroad casino sites, sources near the matter mentioned 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 line with his lawyer, who mentioned a decision through litigation is being thought-about.

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

Speaking at a press convention Monday, the lawyer said the person had informed him that he had moved the cash out of his account using his smartphone. The lawyer mentioned that the man lives alone and no one else is believed to be concerned in the matter.

Last Thursday, the town sued the person for around 51 million yen for the full return of the funds plus authorized charges. In line with the city, the person had refused to return the money, 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 grew to become unreachable after the town filed the lawsuit against him, saying that police had saved his phone following voluntary questioning in April and Might.

On April 6, after procedures to transfer 100,000 yen in COVID-19 aid cash to each of the 463 low-income households in Abu had been accomplished, a city official mistakenly submitted a single transfer request to a monetary institution for 46.3 million yen for the man whose title was on the high of the checklist.

All the amount was transferred to the person's checking account on April 8.