Jacques Corriveau, a friend of Jean Chretien, has tried to put some distance between himself and the former prime minister in his early testimony at the Gomery inquiry.

Corriveau, a designer and a key player in the sponsorship program, is likely to be asked to explain invoices for close to $7 million in sponsorship money.

Over a 10-year period, Corriveau's companies earned $11 million in working on sponsorship contracts or designing political signs for Liberal candidates during election campaigns

But obtaining the details of that work might be difficult. Corriveau, 72, said surgery in November and prescription drugs are causing memory problems.

Corriveau opened his testimony Wednesday by saying he had been active in the Liberal party for about 40 years. He said after Chretien became prime minister, they met occasionally in Ottawa.

Under questioning by inquiry counsel Bernard Roy, Corriveau denied being Chretien's "unofficial consultant," as he was described in earlier testimony.

Corriveau said he met Chretien in 1976, and the two became friends over the years, and he worked on Chretien's Liberal leadership campaigns in 1983 and 1990.

Corriveau at one point described Chretien as "a very good friend," but added a really good friend is "someone you see maybe 10, 15 times a year.''

"We'd see each other once or twice a year on average,'' he said of his relationship with Chretien.

But there was indication in his testimony of a fairly close relationship. His company, Pluridesign, once employed Chretien's son, Michel, as well as a niece. And Corriveau said he once stayed overnight at 24 Sussex Drive.

The trouble with his memory arose when Corriveau was asked about phone calls to Chretien. He was unable to remember details of those conversations.

He confirmed an exchange of 21 phone calls with Chretien between 1996 and 2003.

A key figure in sponsorships

On Wednesday, Luc Lemay, the owner of Groupe Polygone, provided documents showing he paid Corriveau commissions of 17.5 per cent, totalling $6.7 million, mainly for hunting and fishing shows between 1996 and 2002.

Polygone eventually handled $41 million in contracts for the federal government.

Justice John Gomery, who is leading the inquiry into the former sponsorship program, grilled Lemay about the fact that Corriveau was not a registered lobbyist.

"You have never heard of what we call influence-peddling, as being a forbidden practice in the government?" Gomery asked?

Corriveau's name also came up in the testimony of former Groupaction ad executive Jean Brault, who said that Corriveau directed huge sums to the Liberal Party.

Brault said he paid Corriveau nearly $500,000 under a bogus contract, and alleged Corriveau directed the money to the coffers of the Liberal Party's Quebec wing.

Corriveau will testify again Friday.