Westpac CEO digs in after bank hit with laundering lawsuit

Sydney: Westpac Banking Corp chief executive officer Brian Hartzer is digging in after the lender was accused of the biggest breach of money-laundering and terrorism financing laws in Australian history, including failing to detect payments linked to child abuse.

“I absolutely accept that there is a need for accountability on all of these matters,” Hartzer said on a media call, adding he will personally lead the response. He pledged to “get to the bottom of this and make sure we fix it so it never happens again.”