Trial, Week 8: The beginning of the end of the beginning

As prosecutors head into the home stretch of their portion of the Ken Lay/Jeff Skilling trial, they're counting on at least one star witness: Ben Glisan Jr., former Enron treasurer. Glisan worked closely with ex-Enron CFO Andy Fastow to form the side deals that both men have said were used to hide Enron's debt and artifically inflate earnings. Though jurors have already heard a good deal of testimony about that, prosecutors hope Glisan will be able to "connect the dots" and weave various witnesses' stories together.

But before Glisan, two former Arthur Andersen accountants will take the stand: Thomas Bauer and John R. Sult, who were among the 100 accountants once assigned to Enron. Bauer oversaw the books for Enron North America, the profitable Enron trading arm, and Sult oversaw accounting for Wessex Water, the cornerstone of Enron's failed water business.

Meanwhile, both the prosecution and Ken Lay's lawyers have put some of their trial exhibits online, an unusual move — you san see government exhibits here and Ken Lay's here. And if you're trying to figure out exactly what's happening in the trial, check the Chronicle's Legal Commentary blog, written by lawyers for us non-legal folk.