Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal heading to trial on fraud charges in October

OTTAWA — A former Liberal MP facing charges of fraud and breach of trust related to his time in office is slated for a trial later this year.

Raj Grewal is scheduled to go before an Ontario judge in an eight-week criminal trial starting Oct. 18.

The RCMP laid charges against Grewal in September, alleging the ex-MP for Brampton East took millions of dollars in personal loans without telling the federal ethics commissioner, and that he used his political position to solicit those loans. 

They also say he used his government-funded constituency office budget for his own benefit.

Grewal was a rookie MP when he left the Liberal caucus in 2018, amid the beginning of the police investigation, for what he said were personal and health reasons. 

The Prime Minister’s Office said at the time that he was seeking treatment for a gambling addiction, and Grewal later posted a video acknowledging he’d built up millions of dollars in debt but saying he had paid it all back.

Grewal did not run for re-election in 2019.

He is facing four counts of breach of trust and one count of fraud over $5,000.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2021.

The Canadian Press