Hiding

Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling never broke the law, never stole any money and never lied to the public about hiding billions of dollars in losses, defense attorneys told jurors last week as the trial of the former top executives took center stage in Houston. The prosecution, however, relying on actual statements and an eyewitness, began to show how the ex-executives attempted to deceive the public in the months preceding Enron’s implosion.

Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling never broke the law, never stole any money and never lied to the public about hiding billions of dollars in losses, defense attorneys told jurors Tuesday in opening statements. However, the prosecution claimed the opposite is true, supported by actual statements and eyewitnesses, which demonstrate how the ex-executives attempted to deceive the public in the months preceding Enron’s implosion.

An Arizona municipality, which seeks to start up its own gasdistribution system, has accused an out-of-state distributor ofhiding behind its Hinshaw status to justify its refusal totransport interstate gas for resale to the municipal’s potentialcustomers. Without the distributor’s transportation link, themunicipal says its dream of its own system will fizzle. Thedistributor, on the other hand, contends that its denial of transportation service is strictly a business decision.

An Arizona municipality, which seeks to start up its own gasdistribution system, has accused an out-of-state distributor ofhiding behind its Hinshaw status to justify its refusal totransport interstate gas for resale to the municipal’s potentialcustomers. Without the distributor’s transportation link, themunicipal says its dream of its own system will fizzle. Thedistributor, on the other hand, contends that its denial of transportation service is strictly a business decision.