What Remains Unanswered at Enron Trial

HOUSTON, May 8 — Both sides abruptly rested their cases on Monday in the fraud trial of two former Enron chief executives, setting the stage for closing arguments next week in a trial that could define an era of American business history.

But after 53 days of trial, 51 witnesses and nearly four weeks of testimony from the two defendants, Jeffrey K. Skilling and Kenneth L. Lay, some of the most important witnesses in the case may well be those who never appeared before the jury.

More than a half-dozen high-ranking Enron managers who could have clarified what happened in some meetings at issue in the 15-week trial refused to take the stand without promises of immunity. They included some of the more familiar names in the Enron saga, including Lou L. Pai, former head of Enron Energy Services; Greg Whalley, who ran the company's wholesale energy business; and David B. Duncan, who headed the Arthur Andersen team that audited Enron's financial statements.

Another important witness, Richard A. Causey, Enron's former chief accounting officer, was caught in a game of chicken between the government and the defense.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/business/businessspecial3/09enron.html?ex=1304827200&en=4a7a8359b986de4f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss