Andersen conviction overturned

Supreme Court rules jury instructions flawed in conviction related to accountant's work for Enron.

May 31, 2005: 10:29 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday overturned the conviction of one-time accounting giant Arthur Andersen for the destruction of documents related to Enron Corp.

In a decision that dealt the Justice Department a defeat, a unanimous high court ruled that the jury instructions failed to convey properly the elements of what constitutes a conviction for corrupt persuasion