CHINA: COURT UPHOLDS DEATH SENTENCE FOR 2 BANK EMPLOYEES

the Higher People's Court in North China's Hebei Province upheld the death sentence of two bank employees responsible for the country's largest ever bank theft involving 50.95 million yuan, given by a lower court in August. The sentence was handed down at the second-instance hearing in Handan, a city in southern Hebei. Ren Xiaofeng, 34, and Ma Xiangjing, 37, who worked as vault managers at the Handan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), were given death penalties at the Handan Municipal Intermediate People's Court on August 9. Court hearings found that in October 2006, Ren conspired with Zhao Xuenan and Zhang Qiang, who were both employed to guard the vault, to embezzle 200,000 yuan. From March 16 to April 14 this year, Ren collaborated with Ma, who replaced Zhang Qiang as a bank employee, and stole 50.95 million yuan in cash. On April 14, the two men walked out with 18 million yuan.