Charest government took money: ex-minister

Former Quebec justice minister Marc Bellemare has elaborated on allegations that the provincial Liberal government accepted financial donations from the province's construction industry and that Premier Jean Charest knew about it.

Bellemare told Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête that he witnessed someone tied to the construction industry giving large sums of cash to a Liberal Party official on two occasions.

Bellemare didn't say how much money changed hands or name who had been involved.

On Monday, Charest vehemently denied the allegations, calling them "lies," and immediately threatened to sue Bellemare.

For several weeks, Bellemare had said in media interviews that he was privy to information that the Charest government had broken fundraising rules. His conversation with Radio-Canada, broadcast on Monday, was the first time he's discussed particular incidents.

Quebec's landmark fundraising law, introduced by Rene Levesque's Parti Québécois government in the 1970s, forbids donations over $3,000.

Bellemare, who served as Charest's justice minister in 2003 and 2004, said he had complained earlier to the premier about the incidents.

Bellemare wouldn't say how Charest responded, only that the premier was informed.

Charest has maintained that Bellemare never said anything to him about the subject.

Bellemare also said that while he was minister of justice, he was told on a number of occasions to appoint judges based on the recommendations of major Liberal Party fundraisers.

He wouldn't name the parties involved, but said Charest was aware of this issue as well.

Charest, who was attending a conference in Mississippi on Monday, told reporters he would send Bellemare a lawyer's letter demanding an apology and retraction of the allegations.

"What Mr. Bellemare is telling, essentially, are lies," Charest said.

"He didn't speak to me about it. I don't know what he's talking about."

Charest's deputy premier, Nathalie Normandeau, noted that judges in Quebec are chosen from lists recommended by a panel of legal experts, not in the way described by Bellemare.

"It's not only surprising — but it's also impossible," Normandeau told Radio-Canada. "The appointment of judges is protected from political interference."

Charest has resisted repeated calls for a public inquiry into the accusations.

Bellemare said he is willing to testify before a parliamentary committee, but only if he is offered full immunity.

Bellemare resigned from the legislature in 2004. He said his abrupt exit stemmed from the alleged ethics violations.