Two Ernst & Young employees have been charged with criminal offenses after allegedly accessing the personal banking records of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The charges mark a significant escalation in a case that previously resulted in the termination of the two graduate staff members involved.
The incident occurred while the employees were on secondment, raising serious questions about internal data governance and access controls within the firm.
EY has referred the matter to authorities, signaling a zero-tolerance approach to the unauthorized handling of sensitive client information.
This development arrives amid a broader period of regulatory pressure on the Big Four accounting firms in Australia.
The Reserve Bank of Australia recently confirmed it is reviewing its relationship with KPMG Australia, underscoring a growing skepticism toward the sector's compliance frameworks.