Crown probes ex-Brampton MP Raj Grewal’s guest list for India receptions with Justin Trudeau

A list of people invited by former Brampton Liberal MP Raj Grewal to an intimate meet and greet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in India four years ago was the focus of Grewal’s ongoing criminal trial this week.

Grewal is facing charges for breach of trust following a lengthy RCMP investigation related to loans the ex-MP received to fund a gambling addiction.

The RCMP allege when they arrested Grewal in September 2020 he had used his political office to solicit loans for personal gain.

Grewal publicly acknowledged his gambling problem in 2018 when he left the Liberal caucus but denies any criminal wrongdoing.

In court on Monday (June 13), Crown attorney Tim Wightman questioned a former political staffer who helped organize the India trip about the process by which Liberal MPs were allowed to invite people to various events.

MPs were allowed to invite people to many events during the 10-day trip but were limited to five invitations for a small reception with Trudeau in Delhi, where participants could meet the prime minister and have their photo taken with him.

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Grewal is the former MP for the riding of Brampton East, who parted ways with the Liberals in the fall of 2018 just three years after first being elected.

Days after his split from the Liberals, Grewal issued a video statement saying he had a gambling addiction and had racked up millions of dollars in debt. He claimed the debts were all repaid, adding that nothing sinister had taken place.

Grewal was charged by the RCMP with four counts of breach of trust and one of fraud over $5,000 in September 2020 over allegations he used his position as an MP to solicit millions of dollars in loans he did not disclose to the ethics commissioner, and also misused his MP’s office budget.