Key facts
- Two EY employees allegedly accessed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's personal banking details.
- The employees were reportedly sacked by EY.
- The Australian Federal Police have charged two men in connection with the incident.
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers called the alleged data access 'incredibly concerning.'
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers described reports of two employees from accounting firm Ernst & Young (EY) allegedly accessing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's personal banking details as "incredibly concerning." The Australian Financial Review newspaper reported that EY had sacked the two individuals, who were on temporary assignment at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), after they allegedly accessed Albanese's bank details and those of at least one EY partner.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed that two Sydney men were charged on May 6 with unauthorized access to restricted personal banking data belonging to a federal parliamentarian. A 21-year-old man faces charges including unauthorized access and publishing personal data, while a 25-year-old man is charged with unauthorized access with intent. Both men were granted police bail to appear in a Sydney court on Tuesday.
According to the AFR report, the system used would have provided a warning requiring confirmation before access to confidential customer information was granted. Chalmers stated he would not comment on ongoing legal processes but emphasized the concerning nature of such developments for any Australian's details. The incident occurs amid scrutiny of major accounting firms, with EY's peer KPMG facing its own audit leak scandal.