Former Enron Chief Denies Wrongdoing

Former Enron Chief Executive Jeff Skilling, who abruptly resigned from the energy trading giant last summer after six months at the helm, denied any responsibility or wrongdoing in the company’s massive collapse into bankruptcy, two newspapers reported.

The New York Times and Houston Chronicle, in interviews conducted with Skilling, his attorneys and public relations staff in Washington, reported the former Wall Street star’s first detailed public comments since Enron spiraled into Chapter 11 on Dec. 2.

“We’re all trying to figure out what happened,” Skilling told the Times. “This was a tragedy. I had no idea the company was in anything but excellent shape.”