EY has dismissed a graduate employee after Australian federal police alleged he accessed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s personal bank account while on secondment at Commonwealth Bank, with the two accused men appearing in a Sydney court on Tuesday as scrutiny of data security at major professional services firms continues.

According to the Australian federal police, Paul Issa, 21, has been charged with accessing restricted data without authorisation and distributing personal data, while Phillip Issa, 25, has been charged with facilitating unauthorised access to restricted data. The two Sydney men were charged on 6 May, granted bail and appeared before Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, where their bail was continued until their next hearing on 25 August.

Investigators allege the breach occurred while Paul Issa was working on secondment at Commonwealth Bank through EY Australia. Anthony Albanese’s register of interests shows he holds a savings account with the bank and a mortgage on a New South Wales Central Coast property jointly owned with his wife.

Australia’s treasurer, Jim Chalmers, described the allegations as "incredibly concerning", saying: "I need to be really careful not to interfere with any legal processes which are underway, but I think on the face of it any developments of that kind are incredibly concerning, not just in relation to the PM’s details but any Australians’ details."

EY confirmed the graduate was no longer employed by the firm but declined to comment further. A Commonwealth Bank spokesperson said it would not comment on individual contractor matters. *City AM* reported that the former employee allegedly accessed the confidential banking details of at least one senior EY partner in addition to those of the prime minister.

The case adds to a series of governance and confidentiality controversies affecting Australia's Big Four accounting firms. Rival firms KPMG and PwC have faced separate scandals over the handling of confidential client information, while KPMG Australia has recently undergone senior leadership changes following criticism of its response to whistleblower allegations concerning client confidentiality.

The charges against both men remain before the courts, and neither has entered a plea. The proceedings are scheduled to resume on 25 August.

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