A former bank employee from Bitonto is under investigation by the Bari prosecutor's office for having made over 6 unauthorized accesses to bank accounts, including those of prominent political figures.
According to the newspaper Domani, those involved include Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , her sister Arianna, head of the political secretariat of the Brothers of Italy party, journalist Andrea Giambruno, ministers Daniela Santanchè and Guido Crosetto, Senate President Ignazio La Russa, and the prosecutor of the National Anti-Mafia Directorate, Giovanni Melillo.
These represent just a fraction of the thousands of people whose accounts were allegedly “spied on” and monitored by the former bank employee.
The official, fired last August 8 after the start of a disciplinary procedure, risks serious consequences for the possible violation of privacy on sensitive data. The Bari prosecutor's office is investigating to understand the reasons behind these illicit accesses, but at the moment there are no clear answers.
The number of illegal accesses is impressive, with almost seven thousand registered between February 21, 2022 and April 24, 2024, and involved over 3.500 customers. In addition to the politicians mentioned, the accounts of the governors of Puglia and Veneto, Michele Emiliano and Luca Zaia, of the public prosecutor of Trani, Renato Nitti, and of officers of the Arma and the Guardia di Finanza were allegedly violated.
The investigation began almost by chance thanks to the bank's internal security controls, which detected suspicious activity. Now it is up to the judiciary and the Privacy Guarantor, who has already received a complaint from the bank, to shed light on the consequences of what happened.
Meloni's comment on X
Giorgia Meloni commented on the story on social media, writing on X: «Give us our daily dossier today», attaching a photo with her sister Arianna and the headline from the newspaper Il Giornale which reports the news of the investigation underway in Bari.
