Ex-Enron chief Lay blasts prosecutors, Fastow

Former Enron Corp. Chairman Ken Lay on Tuesday said he was the victim of a "wave of terror" by prosecutors and blamed his former chief financial officer for the energy company's spectacular downfall.

In a preview of his defense at his criminal trial next month, Lay, in a speech to a Houston group, said he was only to blame for trusting Andrew Fastow, Enron's CFO, who has pleaded guilty to charges and will be the government's key witness against Lay and co-defendants.

"We did trust Andy Fastow, and sadly, tragically, that trust turned out to be misplaced," Lay said.

Lay also took aim at the Department of Justice's Enron Task Force, which he said launched a special investigation against him even before there was evidence of any crimes.

"In this trial, apparently unlike most criminal defense cases, defendants are trying to get the truth in, and the prosecutors, the Enron Task Force, are trying to keep it out," he said.

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