Ernst & Young has terminated two graduate employees after they allegedly accessed the personal banking records of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The firm referred the matter for criminal charges, and the two men appeared in court on Tuesday morning, where their bail was continued.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers described the allegations as "incredibly concerning," highlighting the severity of the breach.
The accused include Paul Issa, a former EY graduate, and another Sydney-based man.
The incident involves unauthorized access to Commonwealth Bank data, raising immediate questions about internal controls and data privacy safeguards at the Big Four accounting firm.
The development follows EY's initial announcement that it had fired the staff members and handed the case to authorities.