KANSAS CITY, KAN. ? Former Westar Energy Inc. executive vice president Douglas T. Lake testified Monday that a trip to Europe in spring 2000 was not a lavish jaunt, but “crisis management” of a subsidiary.

Defendant Lake’s testimony contradicts the government’s assertion in the federal fraud trial that Lake and former Westar chief executive David Wittig took a company-sponsored vacation to Europe, flying on a Westar jet to places like London and Geneva.

Lake, on the witness stand for the second day, testified under direct questioning that he and Wittig endured a hectic trip to check on Westar’s Protection One Europe subsidiary. The subsidiary was unstable, and some managers had lost confidence in Protection One Europe’s chairman and were threatening to resign, Lake testified.

He and Wittig visited subsidiary locations across Europe to assess the situation and meet with managers.

“It was ongoing damage control,” Lake said.

Earlier in the trial, the government presented a slide show detailing the trip, which highlighted the exclusive restaurants and hotels Wittig and Lake patronized.

In further testimony Monday, Lake said he considered selling Protection One Europe in late 1999, but he disagreed with Wittig on the correct course of action.

Lake believed Protection One Europe was difficult to manage and that a sale would provide cash relief to Protection One’s American operations, which were in danger of defaulting on loans.

Lake testified that Wittig thought the subsidiary still had potential as part of Westar.