Court papers: Solyndra’s CEO quietly resigned Friday

Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, while appearing before the House Oversight and Investigations subcommittee where he invoked their Fifth Amendment right to decline to testify to avoid self-incrimination. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison resigned last Friday, new court papers filed Wednesday show.

He did so quietly, and it’s unclear whether the timing was related to Obama administration Justice Department officials’ request for someone other than company executives to oversee Solynra’s bankruptcy process.

Since the DOJ didn’t trust Solyndra officials to be forthcoming with accurate information about the company’s finances, the administration asked a trustee to oversee its bankruptcy process. The Solyndra court filings, filed in Delaware Wednesday in response to that request, show Harrison resigned on October 7.

Solyndra said Harrison had contemplated resigning from his post before the solar panel manufacturing company sought bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy leaves taxpayers on the hook for the $535 million loan guarantee extended by the Obama administration’s Energy Department.

Harrison and Solyndra chief financial officer W.G. Stover refused to offer testimony to the House Energy and Commerce committee, citing their Fifth Amendment protections.

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