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Intesa Faces Probe After Employee Breached Clients’ Data

A bank branch of Intesa Sanpaolo in Turin, Italy. Photographer: Francesca Volpi/Bloomberg (Francesca Volpi/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Intesa Sanpaolo SpA is under investigation by Italian authorities after an employee illegally accessed client account information, according to people familiar with the matter.

Italy’s biggest bank is part of a formal probe in connection with the employee’s actions, said the people, who asked not be identified because the investigation isn’t public. Under Italian law, a company can be held responsible if it’s shown to have failed to prevent or didn’t attempt to prevent a crime by a manager. Italian news agency Ansa earlier reported the news. 

Intesa hasn’t received any notice of a probe after the data breach, according to a statement late Monday. After an internal investigation, Intesa filed a compliant to judicial authorities as an injured party, the bank added. The company is collaborating with authorities.

The Milan-based lender said on Sunday it fired an employee that “gravely violated laws, regulations, and internal procedures, unjustifiably accessed data and information concerning some clients.” Intesa also notified the breach to the local Data Protection Authority.

Italian media reported last week that client data belonging to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other government officials was breached. Amid the scrutiny, Intesa is set to appoint Antonio De Vita, a former top official of the Carabinieri military police, as chief security officer, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday.

(Updates with Intesa representative comment in third paragraph)

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