Albanese neighbour twist in PM’s bank account leak: EY rising star, 21, and his basketball coach brother, 25, are charged over Commonwealth Bank security scare
An Ernst and Young graduate employee and his basketball coach older brother allegedly broke into the Commonwealth Bank account of their longtime neighbour – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Paul Issa, 21, was on secondment with the Big Four bank when he allegedly accessed the personal accounts of Albanese and a senior EY employee.
On May 6, the Australian Federal Police charged Issa with unauthorised access or modification of restricted data and using a carriage service to publish personal data to menace or harass. He was later sacked by the accounting firm.
Meanwhile, his 25-year-old brother Phillip Issa, who does not work at EY, was also charged with unauthorised access or modification of restricted data over the same alleged incident.
The pair were supported by family when they appeared in Sydney‘s Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, and appeared expressionless as they stood before the judge with their shared lawyer.
They did not comment outside court, or later, when approached by the Daily Mail outside their family’s longtime Marrickville home – just around the corner from Albanese’s former home, which the PM sold in 2024.
When the Mail asked the oldest brother whether his name was Phillip, he falsely replied ‘no’, and ran up the driveway.
His father then emerged and refused to shed light on the situation, instead asking: ‘Seriously?’
Phillip and Paul Issa, 25 and 21, have been charged over allegedly accessing the prime minister’s bank details
Paul Issa (pictured) allegedly accessed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s bank account while working for EY on secondment at the Commonwealth Bank
His older brother Phillip Issa (pictured outside court) was also charged over the alleged incident
Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday said the alleged breaches were ‘incredibly concerning’.
‘Not just in relation to the PM’s details but any Australians’ details,’ he said.
A neighbour described the Issa brothers as basketball fanatics who also teach primary school kids the sport via the Little Boomers Basketball company.
‘Well they work together, don’t they?’ the neighbour said.
‘There’s always a van out the front, some kids basketball thing, they take kids around.’
The siblings are franchisee partners with the company, which provides classes to children aged three to 12. Their students call them Coach Phil and Coach Paul.
They opened a branch in the Eastern Suburbs in 2023, teaching children in affluent suburbs like Bondi, Maroubra, and Bronte how to play basketball. In 2024, they bought a second franchise in Ryde, on Sydney’s north shore.
The Issa brothers appear together in a number of videos promoting the business. Daily Mail has contacted the business owner for comment.
The pair are not allowed to ‘contact or harass’ Anthony Albanese (pictured with wife Jodie Haydon)
Paul Issa is pictured teaching a basketball class in the eastern suburbs of Sydney
Phillip (left) and his brother Paul (right) have appeared in a number of videos about the basketball business
In court on Tuesday, Judge Hugh Donnelly granted the pair bail and adjourned the matter until August 25, when the brothers will be excused from appearing in person.
Daily Mail understands the matter is expected to escalate to the District Court.
Bail conditions state they must reside at the Marrickville address and stay away from any international point of departure.
They are also banned from ‘contacting or harassing The Honourable Anthony Albanese MP’, according to court filings.
Under its contract with CBA, EY staff undergo extensive training and are told customer accounts can only be accessed for legitimate work purposes.
A CBA spokeswoman told the Daily Mail it was inappropriate for the bank to comment on individual contractor matters.
EY declined to comment, but has since reiterated its strict policies to employees after the alleged breach.
Daily Mail has contacted the Prime Minister’s office for comment.
When approached by the Daily Mail in Marrickville, Phillip Issa ran away (pictured)
The older Issa brother also falsely told the Mail that his name was not Phillip
Albanese’s son, Nathan, 25, also works for the Commonwealth Bank after completing an internship at consultancy giant PwC.
The Prime Minister pulled some strings back when he was Opposition Leader to secure an internship for his son after speaking with the company’s government relations boss.
Albanese owns two properties – his former Marrickville residence in Sydney’s inner west, and a $4.3million clifftop mansion he bought with his partner Jodie Haydon on the NSW Central Coast in September 2024.
The Copacabana property has a CBA mortgage, according to the federal parliament’s register of members’ interests.
It comes as senior figures at KPMG – EY’s rival – also face allegations involving confidential information.
KPMG, which has 297 active federal contracts worth $653million, allegedly misused confidential board papers to win new audit contracts and mistreated a whistleblower who raised concerns.
The consulting giant is yet to face any major penalty, but it’s under a three-month moratorium on new finance department work.
