RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: Jeffrey Skilling, the former CEO of Enron, is testifying today in Houston. He last spoke in his own defense before Congress in February 2002, two months after Enron filed for bankruptcy.</s>JEFFREY SKILLING: Common decency suggests that I be treated as innocent until proven otherwise. Common sense suggests that accusations made now, before the facts are in, are likely to be wrong.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports.</s>WADE GOODWYN: Jeff Skilling is about to sit down and try to explain to the jury how it happened and why he isn't guilty. Former federal prosecutor Chris Bevelle(ph) says Skilling does not come to this battle empty-handed.</s>CHRIS BEVELLE: Jeff Skilling achieved enormous success in the business world. He had tremendous abilities, tremendous sales attributes, and he will be putting his best foot forward.</s>WADE GOODWYN: Bevelle, who specializes in white-collar crime and securities fraud, says prosecutors are going to attack Skilling using his own words, his public statements pumping up Enron's stock.</s>CHRIS BEVELLE: And while he was uttering these highly optimistic statements bout the future business prospects of Enron, he was lining his pockets through massive stock sales, taking in tens of millions of dollars. Bottom line, that's going to be a big problem for Jeff Skilling.</s>WADE GOODWYN: Wade Goodwyn, NPR News.
Jeffrey Skilling, Enron's former CEO, is expected to take the witness stand in Houston. Skilling and his boss, Ken Lay, claim they didn't do anything illegal to cause the collapse of Enron. And Skilling is expected to testify that he didn't know about the illegal actions of finance-chief Andrew Fastow.