A Royal Bank of Canada employee has been charged after allegedly accessing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s personal banking information without authorization, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Wednesday.Federal police confirmed that the 23-year-old suspect from Ottawa faces multiple charges, including fraud, unauthorized use of a computer, and identity theft. The investigation was launched after RBC flagged unusual activity linked to one of its employees.“The suspect allegedly consulted the personal data of Prime Minister Mark Carney,” RCMP spokesperson Erique Gasse said in an email to AFP.. He stressed that investigators have found no evidence of a threat to national security or to Carney’s personal safety..RBC, Canada’s largest bank, said it acted quickly once the conduct came to light. “The individual is no longer employed at the bank,” spokeswoman Cheryl Brean said, noting that internal safeguards were used to detect the irregular activity.The incident highlights ongoing concerns about privacy and data security in Canada’s financial sector, where employees have privileged access to sensitive client information. Law enforcement has not disclosed whether other customers’ accounts were compromised..Carney, who took office as prime minister in January, previously led both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England. Before entering politics, he worked at Goldman Sachs and later chaired the global investment firm Brookfield. During this year’s federal election campaign, opposition parties pressed him to release details of his personal holdings. Carney responded that his assets had been placed in a blind trust, in accordance with federal ethics rules.The RCMP investigation is continuing, and the suspect is expected to appear in court at a later date.
