- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key senator probing Enron's collapse said on Sunday
he doubted the company's former chairman would testify this week and House
Republicans accused the top executive who has testified of lying to Congress.
-
- U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings of South Carolina,
chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee that is scheduled to hear from
former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay on Tuesday, said he didn't think Lay, who
declined to appear last week, would come forward publicly now to discuss
the events leading up to the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history.
-
- "Lay has got a good lawyer,"
Hollings told CBS's "Face the Nation" program. "I can't
see, with things having gotten worse all week long, him testifying now."
-
- Two Republicans leading the investigation
in the U.S. House of Representatives questioned whether Enron Corp's former
Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling was truthful in testifying last
Thursday and said he could be prosecuted for perjury.
-
- Skilling took no blame for the bankrupt
energy trader's collapse and said he had no reason to believe it was in
financial trouble when he left last August.
-
- The chairman of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, said he did not believe
Skilling's claims and that the former CEO "may have put himself in
some legal jeopardy as a result."
-
- "You can't come to Congress, take
the oath to tell the truth, and then not tell the truth," Tauzin said.
-
- "...We're hearing from others in
the corporation that he came to us and told us a lot of untruths. If he
did that, if that is true," he could face perjury charges, the congressman
said. "All of us wanted to know the truth, and I don't think we got
it."
-
- 'DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK'
-
- Greenwood, chairman of the House Energy
subcommittee on oversight and investigation that heard from Skilling, also
was skeptical despite the fact Skilling testified voluntarily before the
panel probing off-the-books partnerships and questionable accounting at
Enron.
-
- "It was the dog ate my homework,"
he said. "Unfortunately, I don't think he was forthcoming with us
at all."
-
- On Dec. 2, Enron filed for bankruptcy,
wiping out thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in equity held by
employees and other investors.
-
- The collapse of the Houston-based company
that was once the seventh largest in America is under investigation by
the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and nine
congressional panels.
-
- Four other past and current Enron executives
have refused to testify before lawmakers, citing their constitutional Fifth
Amendment protection against self-incrimination. The accusations facing
Skilling and threats of legal action could influence the decision by Lay
and his attorney to voluntarily appear this week.
-
- Two of the current Enron executives who
opted to remain silent, Chief Accounting Officer Richard Causey and Chief
Risk Officer Richard Buy, said through their attorneys on Sunday they want
to resign so they can prepare for coming legal fights. Both were criticized
in an internal report for failing to properly oversee the fallen company's
finances.
-
- Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said
he hoped Lay would testify.
-
- "I think it is important that he
come forth, and I hope that he won't plead the Fifth," Daschle told
CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday. "I would hope, while he's
at it, that he apologizes to the thousands of Enron employees who lost
their livelihood and their life savings. That hasn't been done yet either."
-
- Late last week, lawmakers had no indication
from Lay's lawyers that he would invoke the Fifth Amendment.
-
- Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North
Dakota said there was even "some indication" Lay would testify
and on Sunday said he would not support granting immunity from prosecution
to gain his testimony.
-
- "I personally would not support
that and, frankly, don't think our subcommittee would," Dorgan told
CNN. "We have an investigation going on at the Justice Department,
a criminal investigation, and I don't want to do anything here in Congress
... that would anyway jeopardize that."
-
- Lay, whose spokeswoman said he had not
decided about Tuesday's appearance, backed out of a voluntary appearance
before the Senate Commerce Committee last Monday after his lawyer complained
about "prosecutorial" comments by lawmakers on television talk
shows.
-
- A source close to Lay told Newsweek his
decision to cancel last week was a reluctant bow to the lawyers. In a brief
telephone conversation, Lay told the source, "'They are trying to
trip me up. They want to put me in jail."'
-
- "He said, 'Every fiber of my body
wants to talk and tell my side of this,"' the friend told the magazine.
-
- The House Financial Services Committee,
which had also expected to hear from Lay last week, has subpoenaed him
to appear on Thursday.
-
- Like Skilling, Lay would face tough questions
about business deals that critics charge hid massive debts and inflated
profits at Enron until it filed for bankruptcy.
-
- Lay resigned as chairman and chief executive
of Enron on Jan. 23. He stepped down from the board last week.
-
-
-
-
- Lawmakers Doubt They're Getting Truth
On Enron
-
- By Lori Santos 2-11-2
-
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key senator
probing Enron's collapse said on Sunday he doubted the company's former
chairman would testify this week and House Republicans accused the top
executive who has testified of lying to Congress.
-
- U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings of South Carolina,
chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee that is scheduled to hear from
former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay on Tuesday, said he didn't think Lay, who
declined to appear last week, would come forward publicly now to discuss
the events leading up to the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history.
-
- "Lay has got a good lawyer,"
Hollings told CBS's "Face the Nation" program. "I can't
see, with things having gotten worse all week long, him testifying now."
-
- Two Republicans leading the investigation
in the U.S. House of Representatives questioned whether Enron Corp's former
Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling was truthful in testifying last
Thursday and said he could be prosecuted for perjury.
-
- Skilling took no blame for the bankrupt
energy trader's collapse and said he had no reason to believe it was in
financial trouble when he left last August.
-
- The chairman of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, said he did not believe
Skilling's claims and that the former CEO "may have put himself in
some legal jeopardy as a result."
-
- "You can't come to Congress, take
the oath to tell the truth, and then not tell the truth," Tauzin said.
-
- "...We're hearing from others in
the corporation that he came to us and told us a lot of untruths. If he
did that, if that is true," he could face perjury charges, the congressman
said. "All of us wanted to know the truth, and I don't think we got
it."
-
- 'DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK'
-
- Greenwood, chairman of the House Energy
subcommittee on oversight and investigation that heard from Skilling, also
was skeptical despite the fact Skilling testified voluntarily before the
panel probing off-the-books partnerships and questionable accounting at
Enron.
-
- "It was the dog ate my homework,"
he said. "Unfortunately, I don't think he was forthcoming with us
at all."
-
- On Dec. 2, Enron filed for bankruptcy,
wiping out thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in equity held by
employees and other investors.
-
- The collapse of the Houston-based company
that was once the seventh largest in America is under investigation by
the Justice Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission and nine
congressional panels.
-
- Four other past and current Enron executives
have refused to testify before lawmakers, citing their constitutional Fifth
Amendment protection against self-incrimination. The accusations facing
Skilling and threats of legal action could influence the decision by Lay
and his attorney to voluntarily appear this week.
-
- Two of the current Enron executives who
opted to remain silent, Chief Accounting Officer Richard Causey and Chief
Risk Officer Richard Buy, said through their attorneys on Sunday they want
to resign so they can prepare for coming legal fights. Both were criticized
in an internal report for failing to properly oversee the fallen company's
finances.
-
- Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said
he hoped Lay would testify.
-
- "I think it is important that he
come forth, and I hope that he won't plead the Fifth," Daschle told
CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday. "I would hope, while he's
at it, that he apologizes to the thousands of Enron employees who lost
their livelihood and their life savings. That hasn't been done yet either."
-
- Late last week, lawmakers had no indication
from Lay's lawyers that he would invoke the Fifth Amendment.
-
- Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North
Dakota said there was even "some indication" Lay would testify
and on Sunday said he would not support granting immunity from prosecution
to gain his testimony.
-
- "I personally would not support
that and, frankly, don't think our subcommittee would," Dorgan told
CNN. "We have an investigation going on at the Justice Department,
a criminal investigation, and I don't want to do anything here in Congress
... that would anyway jeopardize that."
-
- Lay, whose spokeswoman said he had not
decided about Tuesday's appearance, backed out of a voluntary appearance
before the Senate Commerce Committee last Monday after his lawyer complained
about "prosecutorial" comments by lawmakers on television talk
shows.
-
- A source close to Lay told Newsweek his
decision to cancel last week was a reluctant bow to the lawyers. In a brief
telephone conversation, Lay told the source, "'They are trying to
trip me up. They want to put me in jail."'
-
- "He said, 'Every fiber of my body
wants to talk and tell my side of this,"' the friend told the magazine.
-
- The House Financial Services Committee,
which had also expected to hear from Lay last week, has subpoenaed him
to appear on Thursday.
-
- Like Skilling, Lay would face tough questions
about business deals that critics charge hid massive debts and inflated
profits at Enron until it filed for bankruptcy.
-
- Lay resigned as chairman and chief executive
of Enron on Jan. 23. He stepped down from the board last week.
-
- Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited.
All rights reserved.
|
