Members of Enron Corp.’s board of directors were briefed as far back as four years ago about the nature and structure of the controversial off-balance-sheet partnerships whose losses led to the downfall and bankruptcy of the once-powerful energy trader, according to a report in The Washington Post Thursday.

Minutes of board meetings, which the Post said it obtained from a source critical of the board, reveal that board members knew of and approved the partnership transactions, including moving debt off the company books, the story said. The minutes covered four board meetings in 1997 and 1999 and three meetings of the board’s finance committee in 2000.

Individual Enron directors, who also are the targets of lawsuits and investigations, have refused to comment about their role in the partnerships that crippled the company.

The minutes further reveal that members of the special committee, which former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay supposedly set up to investigate the partnerships, had attended board meetings in which the intricate details of entities were described by former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow, the Post report said. Fastow reportedly made $30 million by running partnerships that had names such as LJM, Raptor and JEDI.

A report by the special committee, which could be released as early as Friday, is expected to say that while the Enron board approved the questionable partnerships, Enron management and auditors withheld vital information from them, the Post story said. This also is expected to be the defense that will be offered by Lay and board member, William C. Powers Jr., when they testify before Congress on Monday, it noted.

Robert Bennett, a Washington attorney representing Enron, indicated as much, the Post said. “While the board of directors, including Mr. Lay, were aware that these special partnership entities were being set up, which were being run by Mr. Fastow, there is a great deal of information regarding their operation and execution that was unknown to the board of directors,” Bennett is quoted as saying.

At least 12 congressional committees, as well as the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission, are investigating the demise of Enron, which ultimately drained investors and employees of billions of dollars. The controversial partnerships are at the center of the inquiries, specifically the roles of directors, management and auditors in either setting them up or approving them.

In a related development, the White House said it will come out on top in its battle with the General Accounting Office (GAO) over access to the records of the task force that developed the administration’s energy policy. “The White House expects to prevail because our case is strong, our policy is sound, and principle is on our side,” spokesman Ari Fleischer said Wednesday.

“The administration’s position , which we expect to be upheld in a court of law, is that the [GAO] is acting beyond their authority, outside a statute,” he noted, adding that President Bush was not exerting executive privilege over the task force records.

The White House comments came on the heels of the GAO’s announcement Wednesday that it plans to file a lawsuit within a few weeks to gain access to the energy task force records, which some lawmakers on Capitol Hill believe — or hope — will show that Enron’s Lay exerted great influence during the development of the national energy policy.

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