Premier Jean Charest testified before the Bastarache Commission Thursday afternoon, giving him his first opportunity to defend himself over the allegations that he encouraged allowing Liberal fundraisers to influence the appointment of judges.

Charest did hold a press conference to deny the allegations made by former justice minister Marc Bellemare when the inquiry into the nominations of judges opened in late August, but this is his first official appearance at the proceedings.

It is believed to be the first time since 1891 that a sitting premier has testified at a public inquiry in Quebec and the stakes are considerable for Charest, who will continue testifying on Friday.

Bellemare claims he was under significant pressure from Liberal fundraisers Franco Fava and Charles Rondeau to name three people as judges: Marc Bisson, Michel Simard and Line Gosselin-Despres. He also alleges that Charest not only knew about the pressure tactics, he encouraged Bellemare to do whatever Rondeau and Fava wanted because they were important fundraisers for the Liberal Party.

Charest said during Thursday's testimony that he had certain preferences in terms of the criteria met by potential judges, but political allegiance was not one of them.

Charest, answering the questions of the commission's lead prosecutor Giuseppe Battista, said he wanted to see candidates who were a little older because he felt experience was important to a judge, he wanted to see more female candidates and he wanted to see candidates coming out of public institutions like the Crown prosecutors office or legal aid.

When Battista asked if the political allegiance of a judge was also a factor, Charest said it is a relatively minor one.

"It is not an important element in a nomination and it never has been," Charest said. "I can guarantee you one thing, when someone is named it is based on that person's competence."

Fava is "an acquaintance", Charest says

Charest also rejected the suggestion that he was especially close to Fava.

Bellemare, the inquiry's key witness, identified Fava as one of the players pulling strings and he described the businessman as the premier's friend.

Charest said he knew Fava and appreciated his efforts on behalf of the party -- but that that was about it.

"Allow me to elaborate because I heard Mr. Bellemare's testimony. . . The way he was telling it, we were on the verge of becoming twins," Charest deadpanned.

"I don't know where (Bellemare) got that. Mr. Fava is an acquaintance -- one I saw, on average, twice a year. That was the relationship. It was a good relationship, but that was it."

Fava's testimony

Fava denied knowing any of the three judges in question during the opening of his testimony Wednesday.

He therefore didn't lobby Bellemare to name either Bisson, Simard or Gosselin-Despres as judges, Fava said.

Fava was back on the stand Thursday morning to answer the questions of Bellemare's lawyer Jean-Francois Bertrand, repeating his denials of ever pressuring the former justice minister to do anything.

At one point, Bertrand asked Fava what his interpretation of pressure was.

Fava, a now-retired construction entrepreneur, said, "In the construction industry, pressuring someone means twisting his arm."

That, Fava said, is something he never did to Bellemare, in neither a literal or figurative sense.

Fava added that he did put two resumes of Montreal lawyers he knew into the government "machine."

Fava was generally defiant in answering Bertrand, often times appearing impatient with the repetitive nature of the questions and often times banging the desk in front of him to punctuate his response.

Rondeau admitted suggesting Simard as candidate

When Rondeau was questioned by Bertrand, he revealed that he sometimes plays the role of an MNA by passing along the resumes of people interested in an appointment or even complaints from bidders who didn't manage to land a particular government contract.

Rondeau, a Quebec City chartered accountant who has supported the Liberals for 35 years, also explained that he and Fava decided not to participate in Bellemare's run for mayor of Quebec City in 2005 after he left the provincial government.

Rondeau was undergoing cross-examination Wednesday after testifying one day prior that he suggested to Bellemare that Simard be named chief justice of the Quebec Court. Simard was subsequently named deputy chief justice by Bellemare.

PQ calls for Charest to reflect on political future

Meanwhile, the Parti Quebecois is calling for Charest to reflect on his political future because of a deteriorating political climate in Quebec City.

PQ parliamentary leader Stephane Bedard told reporters Thursday that Charest is not fulfilling his role as the caretaker of Quebec's institutions. He cited as an example that Charest appeared to trivialize the resignation of the Director General of Elections Marcel Blanchet.

With files from The Canadian Press