The Charbonneau Commission is finished with ex-city engineer Gilles Surprenant, who has admitted taking kickbacks worth more than $700,000 over a 20-year period.

As his testimony ended this afternoon, Surprenant apologized to Montrealers, saying he 'bitterly regretted' what he did.

City of Montreal lawyer Martin St-Jean was conducting an aggressive cross-examination of Surprenant, trying to get the former engineer to admit to his role and responsibility in the collusion for public contracts.

He appeared to try to get the man known as 'M. TPS' to admit that he expected and sought kickbacks, not because he needed the cash, but because he was greedy, and wanted to blame everyone else but himself.

That line of cross-examination was shot down by the commission's chair, Justice France Charbonneau, who warned St-Jean that Surprenant was not on trial, and that he's already admitted his wrongdoing.

Photo: La Presse