LONGUEUIL - A Quebec public inquiry may be sliding swiftly into the realm of fiasco.
Premier Jean Charest recently called a probe into allegations his party bagmen have been calling the shots when it comes to naming judges in the province.
The inquiry appears to be losing the support of key participants: first the star witness whose allegations prompted the probe and now the official Opposition, which is also a participant in the process.
When he announced the probe, Charest's opponents called it a diversion tactic to draw attention away from a bigger scandal involving corruption between politicians and construction companies.
This week the key witness -- the former justice minister who made the allegations about judges -- announced he wouldn't testify.
He said he didn't believe the inquiry could be partial because its head, former Supreme Court justice Michel Bastarache, worked for a law firm with deep financial ties to the Charest government.
