Worldcom Executives Blame Auditors

Bernard J. Ebbers, the founder and former chairman of WorldCom, and Scott D. Sullivan, former chief financial officer , both of whom were ousted from the company , told the committee in advance they would not testify.

John Sidgmore, WorldCom's president and chief executive officer, was also subpoenaed by the House Financial Services Committee, which is investigating one of the biggest accounting scandals in U.S. history.

'WorldCom uncovered this problem internally,' Sidgmore said in prepared testimony. 'The kind of initiative demonstrated by our internal audit group is to be applauded and will continue to be encouraged.'

WorldCom Chairman Bert Roberts called the accounting improprieties "an outrage to me" and said auditor Arthur Andersen was responsible. "To my mind, the failure of our outside auditors to uncover them is inconceivable," he said.

Melvin Dick, the senior Andersen audit partner for WorldCom, testified that neither he nor any member of the Andersen team "had any inkling" of the improper accounting.

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