Ex-Enron CEO says he's absolutely innocent
AP
CBS News
_______
Houston (US):
Former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling took the witness stand Monday in his fraud and conspiracy trial to begin lengthy testimony in his own defense.
The 52-year-old one-time corporate celebrity whose reputation as a business wunderkind shattered along with the company he once ran also said he "never ... not once" considered making a deal with prosecutors the way more than a dozen other Enron executives did.
"I will fight those charges until the day I die," Skilling said. When Skilling's attorney, Daniel Pettrocelli asked him how he was doing, Skilling admitted he was jittery, CBS News correspondent Lee Cowan reports. "My life in on the line, so I’m probably a little nervous," Skilling said. On the stand, Skilling began bluntly: "I am absolutely innocent."
Skilling, known for his plainspoken manner and bravado as he led Enron's transformation from a staid pipeline company into an energy trading giant, has awaited his turn to address jurors directly since the trial began more than two months ago. His testimony could well be the only hurdle between freedom and decades in prison, depending on whether the eight-woman, four-man panel believes him.
Apr 10, 2006
AP
CBS News
_______
Houston (US):
Former Enron Corp. Chief Executive Jeffrey Skilling took the witness stand Monday in his fraud and conspiracy trial to begin lengthy testimony in his own defense.
The 52-year-old one-time corporate celebrity whose reputation as a business wunderkind shattered along with the company he once ran also said he "never ... not once" considered making a deal with prosecutors the way more than a dozen other Enron executives did.
"I will fight those charges until the day I die," Skilling said. When Skilling's attorney, Daniel Pettrocelli asked him how he was doing, Skilling admitted he was jittery, CBS News correspondent Lee Cowan reports. "My life in on the line, so I’m probably a little nervous," Skilling said. On the stand, Skilling began bluntly: "I am absolutely innocent."
Skilling, known for his plainspoken manner and bravado as he led Enron's transformation from a staid pipeline company into an energy trading giant, has awaited his turn to address jurors directly since the trial began more than two months ago. His testimony could well be the only hurdle between freedom and decades in prison, depending on whether the eight-woman, four-man panel believes him.
Apr 10, 2006
