Plano, TX-based Perot Systems Corp. said Thursday that it has turned over another 12 boxes of documents to state and federal investigators looking at the California energy crisis of 2000-2001. In total, Perot said it has spent $8.5 million in the second and third quarters, fulfilling requests for past data.

In announcing the production of the additional documents, Perot reiterated its contention that “it has never been engaged by any market participant to provide market simulation or gaming software or services for the deregulated California market,” noting that it disclosed a one-day, general market overview presentation that was made to Reliant Energy in June 1998, and the examples in the Reliant presentation were based on “publicly available information.”

The Perot announcement, however, did include reference to an incident it stressed was unrelated to the alleged market manipulation issues in which one of its employees “inappropriately disclosed” California Independent System Operator documents to a third-party consultant. Perot said the CAISO documents dealt with the grid operator’s information technology systems, but did not discuss the state’s energy market rules, protocols or strategies for California’s energy markets. Perot said it reported the incident to appropriate state officials and took “appropriate personnel action” regarding the employee.

At one point during the summer, Perot Systems’ Chairman Ross Perot, Sr., testified at both California legislative and congressional hearings looking at the energy crisis. At the completion of its latest search for past data, Perot said on Nov. 26 it shipped the rest of its documents to the U.S. House energy subcommittee; the California attorney general’s office and the California Senate’s Select Committee to Investigate Wholesale Energy Price Manipulation.

In total, Perot said in a prepared statement that it has produced 55 boxes of documents representing more than 70,000 pages during a five-month internal review at the $1.2 billion (revenues) global information technology services and business consulting firm. A spokesperson for California’s AG’s office Thursday confirmed it had received the added documents.

“With the substantial completion of this phase of the inquiry, the company expects legal fees relating to document production for California energy matters to decrease,” Perot said in its statement, noting, however, that all of the government investigations are ongoing and “may result in additional document requests.”

As it has done with other documents turned over to the state and federal investigations, Perot said all of the latest data, except for confidential employee or client information, are available on the company’s web site (www.perotsystems.com).

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