Raj Grewal, the former Liberal MP ho has experienced severe gambling problems made his first appearance in court on October 6. His lawyer worked with the Crown in order to achieve an adjournment until the end of this year, scheduling the next court meeting for January 6, 2021. Mr. Grewal faces four counts of breach of trust by the RCMP.
It could be recalled that last month, RCMP announced that the official faces criminal charges to the likes of breach of trust and fraud over CA$5,000. The laying of charges came less than a month ahead of October 6, an anticipated turn of events following the criminal probe against him which launched in the fall of 2017.
Former Liberal MP
A virtual hearing took place on Tuesday morning, aiming to make progress on the case. Lawyer Nader R. Hasan of Stockwoods Barristers defends Mr. Grewal in court and he has pointed out on multiple occasions that his client denies all allegations against him. According to them, he asked an employee of his constituency office for a certain amount of money while he was struggling with his unhealthy relationship with gambling.
Lawyer Hasan made it clear that some 10GB of investigation materials has been received over the past few months, in preparation for the court hearing. The probe has been in progress ever since 2017, when the RCMP launched it. It was triggered by information coming from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, pointing towards suspicious transactions of larger amounts of cash Mr. Grewal was making at the time.
Mr. Grewal revealed more about his mental state in December 2018, talking about his unhealthy relationship with gambling and the toll this has taken on his life and bankroll. He revealed in a Facebook video back then that he was frequenting Casino du Lac Leamy in Gatineau, which is also close to Parliament Hill. The gambling hotspot comes with slot machines and gaming tables.
January 6, 2021
His daily visits over the span of three years there managed to have a severe impact on his personal budget and there was a point when he resorted to loans from friends. Regardless of precious allegations, Mr. Grewal claims that none of the money needed for the coverage of this gambling debt was obtained illegally.
There are allegations against him, claiming the while the former Brampton East MP was still in the Liberal caucus, he asked an employee of his constituency office for a certain amount of money. The employee had to allegedly take advantage of their position and the constituency office’s budget in order to support Mr. Grewal’s gambling addiction at the time.
Mr. Grewal was also accused that he was using the office budget himself for further fueling his gambling activities. These fraud and breach of trust counts were all dismissed by his lawyer, claiming that the CA$6 million in funds were obtained in a legal manner. The first days of next year are expected to see more on the subject in court.
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