Five suspects, including Ren Xiaofeng, 34 and Ma Xiangjing, 37, former employees of the bank's cash-management center, are being tried in the Handan People's Intermediate Court, said Han Yuanheng, publicity director of the Hebei provincial higher court.

Han said the trial began around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, but did not immediately reveal other details.

The theft, dubbed the country's largest on record, occurred on April 14, at the Handan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), where 51 million yuan (about 6.7 million U.S. dollars) were reported stolen.

The Public Security Ministry put Ren and Ma, two major suspects, on the most wanted list.