JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Former Standard Bank employee Vivian Brink, 60, is set to appear in court today after being released on bail in January, following his arrest on charges of theft and fraud.
Brink was taken into custody on January 12, 2026, at his Rosettenville residence and appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court the following day.
According to the Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation), Brink allegedly manipulated the bank’s IT systems between January 2014 and November 2017 to increase the overdraft on his account for personal gain, resulting in losses exceeding R1.9 million for Standard Bank.
At his first court appearance in January, Brink was released on R5,000 bail. The case was postponed to February 3, 2026, and remanded to the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. Investigations into the matter remain ongoing, the Hawks said.
The case follows similar commercial crime incidents in South Africa. Last year, former bank employee Rachel Tsakani Bloko, 38, appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court for allegedly siphoning over R130,000 by fraudulently applying for loans using clients’ personal details. Bloko was granted R5,000 bail following her arrest.
