Employee Receives ₱5M by Mistake, Refuses to Return It
An employee in Russia refused to return a large amount of money that was mistakenly deposited into his bank account.
Vladimir Rychagov, an employee of Severavtodor in Khanty-Mansiysk, was shocked when £65,000 (about PHP 4.9 million) appeared in his account in January 2025. He had only been expecting £440 (around PHP 33,700) for his holiday pay. Believing it was a bonus, he gladly accepted it.
Soon after, the accounting department contacted him to inform him that the money had been sent by mistake. It was actually the combined salaries of 34 employees from another branch. The company asked him to return it immediately, but Vladimir refused. He offered to have the amount deducted from his future salaries instead, but management rejected his proposal and demanded full repayment.
Vladimir insisted that, based on what he read online, he had the right to keep the money if it was a technical error. He argued that since the payment was labeled as “salary” and came from the company’s name, he believed it was legitimately his. The company, however, explained that the incident was caused by a payroll software glitch, which made him legally obligated to return the funds.
When management began pressuring him, Vladimir claimed he received threats. Out of fear, he bought a new car, changed his phone number, and moved with his family to another city. The company later filed a case against him, and his bank accounts were frozen.
In court, Severavtodor explained that the money rightfully belonged to other employees. Both the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeals ruled that Vladimir must return the £65,000, as it was not part of his salary.
Despite the rulings, Vladimir still refused to return the money, insisting that he was entitled to it. Acting CEO Roman Tudachkov clarified that there was no 13th-month bonus and that the transfer was purely an error.
Vladimir has since taken the case to the Supreme Court, which will decide whether he can legally keep the money or must finally return it.