MOSCOW, October 10 - RAPSI, Igor Petrushov. A court has postponed until October 13 a sentence announcement for four former Sberbank and Pension Fund employees, who were charged with stealing over $300,000 from the accounts of deceased clients, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI) on Monday.

Sberbank is the largest bank in Russia.

A police source earlier told RIA Novosti that the case was opened in 2010 following the inspection conducted by the bank's internal affairs department. The inspection discovered that Sberbank and Pension Fund employees stole money from the accounts of their deceased clients.

The defendants stole over $300,000 in 2009, thus damaging the bank's reputation, investigators said.

At the previous hearing, the prosecutor demanded five years in prison for the defendants.

Meanwhile, the defendants pleaded guilty and asked the court for a mild sentence. They also requested the court to try the case without reviewing evidence and said they could compensate losses imposed upon the bank and pension fund if at large.