The US Justice Department has charged one of the world's biggest accountancy firms with obstructing the investigation into the Enron collapse. Arthur Andersen's was employed as the energy company's external auditors.
Prosecutors claim Andersen employees shredded tons of documents that might have shed light on Enron's collapse last December. These are the first charges resulting from the two-month investigation into the largest bankruptcy in US corporate history.
Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson said the indictment included allegations of widespread criminal conduct by Andersen. "Dozens of large trunks were brought in to haul documents from Andersen's office and Enron's building to Andersen's firm office in Houston in order to destroy literally tons of documents," alleged Mr Thompson.
