Andersen man set to plead guilty

THE former Andersen auditor who looked after Enron's books was set to appear in court in the US today.

David Duncan was expected to plead guilty to obstruction of justice, as part of a deal to provide evidence against his former employer. Duncan, fired by the accounting firm in the wake of Enron's collapse, is likely to receive a light sentence as part of the plea agreement because he is co-operating with the US government in its criminal case against Andersen.

The government has accused Andersen of illegally shredding tons of documents related to Enron after the energy trader announced a huge loss. Andersen lawyers have so far failed to negotiate a settlement of the criminal case, which is believed to be a stumbling block to the firm's survival. The company is in talks to sell all or part of its core tax unit.

Several companies, including leveraged buyout specialist Fox Paine and accountants Deloitte & Touche, are thought to be interested.