Senior Quebec Liberal Party fundraiser Franco Fava has categorically denied having interfered in the nomination of judges, setting the stage for a showdown between former justice minister Marc Bellemare and Premier Jean Charest at his much-anticipated testimony Thursday before a public inquiry.
Mr. Fava has been at the centre of the probe into allegations of influence peddling after Mr. Bellemare alleged that the influential fundraiser pressured him to nominate Marc Bisson to the bench and Michel Simard as associate chief justice of the Quebec Court. Mr. Bellemare said he told Mr. Charest about the events in 2003.
"Mr. Charest told me: 'Franco is a personal friend, a fund collector who is influential in the party. We need people like him. ... If he says nominate Simard and Bisson then do it," Mr. Bellemare testified in August before the Bastarache commission, which is examining the nomination process of judges in Quebec.
On Wednesday, an angry Mr. Fava emphatically dismissed the allegations during his sworn testimony before the commission, playing down the influence he may have had on Premier Charest.
"I almost fell on my head when I heard about all of this. ... I've had it up to here with this vendetta involving Mr. Bellemare and Mr. Charest," Mr. Fava said. "I've told a lot of people that I don't know these judges. I've never seen them. And if you don't believe me, bring them here and ask them."
Mr. Fava testified that he never pressured Mr. Bellemare to appoint Mr. Simard and Mr. Bisson. He also said he did not play any role in the nomination of Line Gosselin-Desprès to the Quebec Court.
Mr. Bellemare specifically named the three judges when he alleged Mr. Fava and another senior party fundraiser - Charles Rondeau - "pressured" him to make the appointments.
Mr. Fava denied ever meeting Mr. Bellemare outside Liberal Party functions. And he contradicted Mr. Bellemare's former associate deputy minister Georges Lalande, whose testimony supported the former Justice minister's allegations.
Mr. Lalande said this week he met Mr. Fava on several occasions to discuss reforms to the province's administrative tribunals, including the province's occupational health and safety board on which Mr. Fava represented the business community. Mr. Lalande said every time he met with Mr. Fava to discuss the reform, the question involving the nomination of judges was raised by the party fundraiser.
"It's totally false," Mr. Fava said. "I only met him [Mr. Lalande]twice during board meetings to discuss the reform. I never called him. ...I'm telling you I don't know any of the three [judges]involved."
Testimony by Mr. Rondeau, a close friend of Mr. Fava's, indicated that he intervened on behalf of Judge Simard during a meeting he had with the former justice minister. "When having to choose between two equally competent candidates, I'd pick the Liberal," Mr. Rondeau told the commission on Wednesday.
Cabinet minister Norm MacMillan also said during his testimony on Tuesday that he discussed Mr. Bisson's candidacy with Mr. Bellemare. "If it helped him [Mr. Bisson]to get the job, all the better," Mr. MacMillan told the inquiry.
Rhéal Séguin