[JURIST] Citing allegedly unfair rulings by a US District Court judge Barbara Jones, former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers [JURIST news archive], convicted in March [JURIST report] of orchestrating an $11 billion accounting fraud that led to the telecommunications giant's downfall, is seeking a new trial. Attorneys for Ebbers claim that the judge wrongfully refused to grant immunity to three potential witnesses who were otherwise reluctant to testify on Ebbers' behalf. They also claim that Ebbers should have been permitted to present a defense that WorldCom [MCIWorldCom website] accounting principles were in line with industry standards, and that the judge's instructions that jurors could find him guilty based on "conscious avoidance". With sentencing set for June, Ebbers, 63, could spend the rest of his life in prison if his requests are unsuccessful. AP has more.