Former Enron Corp. CEO Jeffrey Skilling accused the U.S. Congress of conducting a witch hunt against innocent former executives of the energy trading giant during five hours of gruelling testimony yesterday.

"The entire management and board of Enron have been labelled everything from hucksters to criminals," a defiant and often confrontational Mr. Skilling told the Senate commerce committee. "These untruths shatter lives and do nothing to advance the public understanding of Enron. The framers of the Bill of Rights are watching."

Mr. Skilling, who abruptly quit as chief executive officer less than four months before the company became the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history in December, says he still has most of the $66-million (U.S.) fortune he amassed selling shares before the company collapsed.

But he complained yesterday that a barrage of shareholder lawsuits could eventually wipe him out.

"It's my expectation that I will probably spend the next five to 10 years of my life battling those lawsuits," Mr. Skilling said. "I don't know if I'll have anything left."

Separated only by their lawyers, Mr. Skilling sat at the witness table alongside two insiders who have cast him as a villain in the Enron saga.

Mr. Skilling denied lying to Congress or duping former chairman Kenneth Lay about the partnerships that were reportedly used to inflate profit by $1-billion.

"I have nothing to hide," he insisted, adding that he left Enron in August to spend more time with his family.

Last March, Mr. Skilling moved into a sprawling $2.5-million Spanish-style villa in Houston.

The mood of the hearing was testy from the opening gavel. Joining Mr. Skilling at the hearing were Enron whistle blowers Sherron Watkins, a vice-president, and Jeffrey McMahon, president and COO.

Ms. Watkins has cast Mr. Skilling as the leader of a band of reckless executives who knowingly manipulated the company's financial statements to make it appear much more profitable than it was.

Mr. McMahon has complained to Mr. Skilling about serious conflicts of interest involving dealings between Enron and several partnerships owned by former chief financial officer Andrew Fastow. An internal probe has revealed that Mr. Fastow and others pocketed tens of millions of dollars in fees as they worked on both sides of complex transactions.

Ms. Watkins glared at Mr. Skilling as he insisted he had "no idea" why Ms. Watkins would accuse him of wrongdoing.

But Ms. Watkins, whose complaints last year to Mr. Lay about serious accounting irregularities were dismissed, stuck to her story.

"I believe that Mr. Andy Fastow would not have put his hands in the Enron candy jar without an explicit or implicit approval to do so from Mr. Skilling," she told the hearing.

Ms. Watkins, who had avoided criticizing Mr. Lay directly in earlier testimony, said Enron missed an opportunity to save the company last fall because "of Mr. Lay's failure to recognize or accept that the company had manipulated its financial statements."

In addition to 36 lawsuits, Enron and its auditor, Arthur Andersen LLP, are the focus of criminal probes by the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mr. Skilling's second appearance on Capitol Hill might have been a public relations bust. But senators were largely unsuccessful in penetrating Mr. Skilling's legal shield. The former CEO frequently retreated to legalistic phrases such as "in my opinion," "as I recollect" or "I recall" as he dodged various accusations.

Confronted with allegations of financial misdeeds, Mr. Skilling pointed out repeatedly that Arthur Andersen and the company's board of directors signed off on all of the dubious partnerships.

"I'm not an accountant," he said several times.

Mr. Skilling is the only member of the company's top echelon of executives to testify voluntarily. Four others, including Mr. Lay, have invoked their constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination.

Both Mr. McMahon and Ms. Watkins still work at Enron, now fighting to sell assets and emerge from U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Mr. Skilling's attempt to cast himself as a victim in the Enron saga didn't sit well with senators, who cited numerous cases of Enron employees who have lost their entire life savings.

Senator Jean Carnahan of Missouri said Mr. Skilling was part of a "bankruptcy of character in the executive suite" after he refused to contribute some of his fortune to an employee relief fund.