A former roommate of a key prosecution witness in the Air India trial said Monday the man never mentioned a confession allegedly made to him by accused bomber Ajaib Singh Bagri.

An FBI informant known only as John, who can't be identified by court order, has testified that a grinning Bagri told him "we did this" a few weeks after the June 23, 1985, bombings that killed 331 people. He said their meeting took place outside a New Jersey gas station.

Balbir Singh Gharala said he shared an apartment in New York with five other Sikh men in their 20s, including John. All of them were living in the U.S. as illegal aliens.

Gharala said he never lent his car to his roommates, even though John has testified that he borrowed the car to drive to New Jersey to meet with Bagri.

He also said John never mentioned anything about a confession afterwards.

"Did you ever hear anyone talk about Ajaib Singh Bagri?" defence lawyer Michael Tammen asked.

"No sir. Never," Gharala replied.

Gharala said John became an informant after the FBI raided their apartment, demanding to see everyone's identification.

"[John] talked to them, then they left," he said.

John has testified he agreed to be an informant in exchange for having his immigration problems disappear.

John ended up pocketing $460,000 from the RCMP for his testimony at the Air India trial.

Gharala now lives in Baltimore, where he owns and operates a liquor store.

He admitted lying to immigration officials when he got his U.S. citizenship in 1994. He said he's being paid $500 a day to testify to compensate for lost business, although his wife and brother are keeping the store open.