Article content

For 13 years Harjit Singh had tried to avoid deportation, but it was his final, desperate bid to stay in Canada that made him the leading man in a bizarre political drama.

Levelling allegations he later admitted were fabricated, Singh brought down a federal cabinet minister — Judy Sgro — and caused weeks of heartburn for Paul Martin’s Liberal government of the early 2000s. It was to no avail.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Deported after toppling Liberal minister with fake charges, pizza-shop owner is back in Canada 13 years later Back to video

The Brampton, Ont., pizza shop owner had also been found liable for credit card fraud, was suspected of people smuggling and accused by police of threatening the relatives of witnesses in his fraud case.

On Feb. 2, 2005, Canadian border officials put Singh on a plane back to his native India, seemingly for good. “Public interest in the integrity of the immigration system clearly favours his removal at the earliest opportunity,” said a judge hearing the last of his many legal appeals.

But 13 years later, the unlikely headline-maker is back in Canada, allowed in under a new Liberal government, his visa request aided by a “routine” letter from another MP immersed in controversy, Raj Grewal.