The chief government whip is telling Liberal MPs not to publicly discuss outgoing MP Raj Grewal’s resignation, who the Prime Minister’s Office has now revealed quit because of a gambling problem.

In a prepared statement, the PMO said gambling “led (Grewal) to incur significant personal debts.” The PMO said it and Grewal agreed it would be best for him to resign, and that he’s seeking help from a “health professional.”

It added: “We are not aware of an investigation by the Peel Regional Police.” The police force could not confirm an investigation of the former MP, either.

“I would ask that you please refrain from speculating or commenting publicly about Raj’s announcement,” reads an internal memo sent by chief government whip Mark Holland, prior to the statement by the PMO. “You can also refer any media questions to my office.”

The Liberal Party’s website for Grewal has been deleted. Grewal, who represented the Ontario riding of Brampton East, announced his resignation on Facebook yesterday.

A rookie MP for the Liberals, Grewal said he notified the whip Wednesday and said he was resigning “due to personal and medical reasons.”

“To the people of Brampton East, serving as your MP has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Grewal wrote on Facebook. “This has been a decision I’ve struggled with for some time now and one I made with great difficulty and real sadness. But I feel I need this time to focus on my health and family.”

Grewal had been under investigation by the ethics commissioner for accusations brought forward by the NDP’s Charlie Angus.

Angus suggested Grewal broke conflict-of-interest rules by inviting a Brampton construction executive, who paid him for legal advice outside of his political career, to events with Canadian officials during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to India earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the conflict-of-interest and ethics commissioner said she could not confirm if the investigation into Grewal was ongoing, or if it had ended. Nothing prevents the ethics commissioner from continuing an investigation after an MP resigns.

But in its statement on Grewal’s gambling problems, the PMO wrote: “We are aware of inquiries by the RCMP regarding the circumstances that were the subject of a complaint to the Ethics Commissioner about Mr. Grewal earlier this year.”

[READ MORE: MP investigated for ethics breach resigns for ‘personal and medical’ reasons]

In a statement yesterday, Trudeau wrote that he, too, learned Grewal would be leaving the party on Wednesday.

“I learned that Raj Grewal is facing serious personal challenges, and today he announced he is stepping down as Member of Parliament for Brampton East. While it may have been a difficult decision, it was the right one. I hope he receives the support he needs,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter.

Grewal had already been re-nominated by the Liberal Party as a candidate in the 2019 federal election.

Because of the timing of Grewal’s resignation, Trudeau will have to call a byelection for his seat before the next federal election. The prime minister is not obligated to set the date before the next election.

Follow @CharliePinkerto