QUEBEC - After weeks of testimony, surprise computer disks, and a scrawled-upon piece of cardboard, the Bastarache commission comes down to Marc Bellemare's word against Jean Charest's.

And according to the Charest's lawyer, the former justice minister has little credibility, and even less proof, to back up allegations he was under pressure to name judges when he served under Charest.

The premier's lawyers tried to convince the Bastarache Commission of their case Wednesday in their closing arguments, with Liberal lawyer Andre Dugas calling Bellemare's proof weak at best.

"It's a cheap shot, really cheap," said Dugas.

The hearings, which began in August, heard Bellemare accuse Liberal Party fundraisers Charles Rondeau and Franco Fava of pressuring him to name Liberal-friendly judges.

Throughout the inquiry, Bellemare has faced the challenge of having very little proof other than a few notes and a floppy disk containing his agenda from his time in the Liberal cabinet.

Bellemare claimed he had confided in Charest during that time, a meeting the premier denies ever took place.

"That meeting never took place," said Charest in the hearing.

Charest's lawyer pointed out the two met twice that summer, and both their agendas confirm that, though the pressures Bellemare faced never came up, he said.

Judges can still be trusted: lawyer

The commission, intended to be an inquiry into how judges are appointed in Quebec, heard from Quebec bar association lawyer Pierre Bourque, who told Quebecers they can still trust judges in the province.

"They can go before the court without fear, with full confidence they will be heard by competent judges, independent judges," he said.

Damage to Liberal Party

The commission has inflicted heavy damage to the Liberal Party, recent polls show.

A Leger Marketing poll released Tuesday showed a new right-of-centre party led by former PQ cabinet minister Francois Legault would win 30 per cent of the vote, while the Parti Quebecois would come second at 27 per cent, and the Liberals would trail at 25 per cent.

Legault led in popularity with 54 per cent of Quebecers' votes, over the PQ's Pauline Marois at 38, and Charest at just 23 per cent.

"I think people have made up their minds almost before we had this commission because I think people wanted to believe what Bellemare was saying," said political analyst Jean Lapierre.

Commissioner Michel Bastarache's final report is due in January after the commission hears from interest groups on the issue.