Ottawa bank employee charged for allegedly accessing Canadian PM’s account

A 23-year-old Ottawa bank employee has been charged for allegedly accessing the accounts of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, police said on Thursday.

Ibrahim El-Hakim, who worked at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) near Parliament Hill, faces charges including fraud, unauthorized use of a computer, identity theft, and trafficking in identity information, authorities added.

In a statement, RBC said it “independently identified unauthorized system access” and has “worked closely with law enforcement to support their investigation.” The bank confirmed that El-Hakim is no longer employed there.

El-Hakim was arrested on July 10 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for allegedly using RBC’s IT systems for criminal purposes, including accessing multiple bank profiles without permission. He has since been released under strict conditions. Authorities stressed that there was no threat to Carney’s safety or Canadian national security.

Court documents, first reported by Canadian French-language newspaper La Presse, suggest that El-Hakim’s alleged actions may be linked to organized crime. The affidavit stated that he communicated with an individual on Telegram who paid him to create fake bank profiles and obtain lines of credit. According to the report, El-Hakim also allegedly accessed former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s account on June 17.

The affidavit further claims that El-Hakim was caught on video and confessed to RBC’s internal security team that he had been lured into the scheme by a person believed to be connected to organized crime. He reportedly received a total of 5,000 Canadian dollars (USD 3,600) for accessing accounts and generating credit lines.

El-Hakim was hired by RBC in 2022 and worked at the Ottawa branch for over a year. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 1.