Washington: A US Senate panel has cancelled its hearing on the collapse of energy giant Enron because the company's former chief executive, Kenneth Lay, had refused to appear.

The decision was announced on February 3 by Democratic Senator Ernest Hollings, chairman of the Committee of Commerce Science and Transportation and Senator Byron Dorgan a Democrat of North Dakota, chairman of the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs.

The lawmakers said in a statement that they had to cancel the hearing after Lay had rescinded his earlier commitment to testify.