A Japanese man who mistakenly received $360,000 in aid for the COVID-19 pandemic has been arrested after he said he spent the money on online bets, police said Thursday.
And it has become difficult for local authorities to return the money from the 24-year-old, who confirmed that he would return the money, “even if he does it in stages.” The fatal mistake of the authorities in the remote town of Abu, as well as the failure to return the money by the man, caused outrage in Japan, and his difficult financial situation was discussed on a talk show.
Last month, officials providing cash assistance to low-income residents affected by the pandemic mistakenly transferred 46.3 million yen ($3.60 million) to the person. Last week authorities filed a lawsuit against a man seeking to get her money back after all her previous attempts to contact him, send him a message and even visit him were unsuccessful.
A police officer in western Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture told AFP that the man was arrested “on suspicion of violating electronic fraud laws.” The man told police that he had spent money at an online casino and suspected that he had transferred some of the money to another account, despite knowing that the money had been received in error.
Abu Norihiko Khanada, the mayor of Abu Norihiko Khanada, told reporters on Thursday that the man’s arrest is “a step towards the truth.” Municipal employees receive a huge number of calls and letters from citizens expressing their dissatisfaction with what happened.
