Disgraced former chief executive at Enron, Jeff Skilling, has been giving evidence in the corruption trial that could see Skilling, and his alleged co-conspirators including former chairman Ken Lay, facing decades in jail over one of the worldís largest corporate failures.
Skilling has denied encouraging Enron employees to illegally falsify profits and debts at the firm in order to mislead investors and the stock market about the state of the company’s finances.
Prosecution witnesses, including former executives who have struck plea bargains with prosecutors in return for giving evidence against their former bosses, have already stated that Skilling lied about the state of the firm’s financial health. Skilling responded by accusing prosecutors of attempting to “rewrite history,” insisting that the company was healthy in the run-up to its bankruptcy.
Skilling is charged with 28 counts of conspiracy and fraud related to the 2001 collapse.
His defence argues that he was misled by dishonest executives like former chief financial officer Andrew Fastow.