The chief executive of Solyndra, a failed solar panel maker with a $535 million federal government loan guarantee, has left the company, according to documents filed by the company in bankruptcy court.

Brian Harrison left the company as scheduled on October 7, the company said in documents filed on Tuesday at the Delaware bankruptcy court, giving no further details.

A company spokesman could not be reached immediately for comment.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is investigating the downfall of the company, which received the $535 million loan guarantee from the Energy Department and has become a political embarrassment for the Obama administration.

Harrison joined the start-up company shortly after it canceled an initial public offering last year, and was in charge as it struggled to find cash to keep operating, and restructured its debt.

He angered lawmakers on Capitol Hill after he painted a rosy picture of the company's prospects only weeks before the company filed for bankruptcy.

Harrison appeared as a witness before the panel last month, but refused to answer questions, invoking his right against self-incrimination provided by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

The company was raided by the FBI after it filed for bankruptcy, and the FBI also visited Harrison's home.

In its Tuesday filing, Solyndra asked the court to approve Todd Neilson of Berkeley Research Group as its restructuring officer.

(Writing by Roberta Rampton in Washington; editing by Philip Barbara)

California Solar