Trial starts for China's once-richest man

Former Gome exec faces years in jail if found guilty on charges

BEIJING - Huang Guangyu, once China's richest man and a home appliance tycoon, stood trial on Thursday in Beijing for illegal business dealing, insider trading and corporate bribery.

Huang, former chairman of Gome Electrical Appliances Holdings, was detained in November of 2008 for suspected stock market manipulation. An investigation later exposed a number of high-ranking officials who have also been detained or prosecuted.