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An unusually lucrative fundraiser for a former Liberal politician beset with gambling debts generated just under $300,000, according to a new statement from the now independent MP.

But the comments Raj Grewal made on Twitter Friday about the fundraising dinner last April also raise more questions, as he suggested that fewer than half of the 1,200 guests at the event actually paid for tickets, and that the money was needed for the kind of long campaign no longer possible under new election laws.

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The fundraiser — with its exceptionally large turnout and attendant large potential revenue — has come under close scrutiny since Grewal’s gambling problems led to him being thrown out of the Liberal caucus.

The Brampton, Ont. MP admitted he racked up millions of dollars in debts playing casino blackjack, and sources and other media reports have said he is under investigation by the RCMP. The RCMP have repeatedly told the National Post they do not comment on whether or not they are investigating any given individual or organization. Grewal, meanwhile, says his gambling debts have been paid off by friends and family, and that he has undergone treatment. He has never specified, though, who gave him the money to gamble, or under what conditions.

Opposition critics say most local fundraisers generate five-figure amounts, nothing even close to the $600,000 the Brampton East riding dinner could have brought in, with its tickets priced at $500 each. Even Liberal fundraisers where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or cabinet ministers appear attract far fewer donors and less money, a party transparency website indicates.

Asked about the event last month, a spokesman for Grewal said he could recall only how much was raised on the night of the dinner.

But the MP revealed new details on Friday, Tweeting under the heading “Factcheck” that $285,000 was brought in overall, $250,000 of which remains with the Liberals’ Brampton East riding association after paying expenses.

At $500 per ticket, that suggests just 570 people paid to attend. But Grewal wrote that “it was clearly stated that not everyone pays at these types of large fundraiser events. The event was also a rally and thank you dinner and was an invite to all local liberals (sic).”

Notices published online at the time describe it as a “special night with Raj Grewal” and twice note the $500 cost, but make no reference to a rally or thank-you affair.