Former Mississauga-Streetsville MP Wajid Ali Khan has been charged by the RCMP in a $1.1 million international investment fraud.

Khan, 71, was charged along with Nadeem Imtiaz Ahmed, 48, both of Mississauga, and both accused of borrowing more than $1.1 million from “personal contacts” in Canada, according to an RCMP news release announcing the charges. The lenders were told the money would be used to buy investment properties for them in Pakistan.

Khan faces seven charges – three counts of fraud, three counts of false pretense and one count of uttering a forged document. Ahmed faces five similar charges.

The RCMP’s National Division RCMP Sensitive and International Investigative Section received complaints in January 2015 and began an investigation. The charges were just recently laid. The Sensitive and International Investigative Section focuses on “criminal activity that poses a threat to Canada’s government institutions, public officials, the integrity of the Crown, or that imperils Canada’s political, economic and social integrity,” according to the RCMP.

Khan made headlines in 2007 when he left the Liberal Party and crossed the floor to join the Conservatives, then left politics for good in 2009.

He crossed the floor so he could continue acting as a special adviser to then-prime minister Stephen Harper on the Middle East and Central Asia.

He was a prominent voice in the GTA’s Pakistani and Muslim communities.

Khan was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004 and again in 2006 as a Liberal.

When Khan retired from politics, he said he would spend his time promoting Canadian businesses worldwide, and managing his assets in the GTA, Edmonton and Pakistan.

He served as an officer and pilot in the Pakistani Air Force from 1966 to 1973.

March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada, and police are urging everyone to read up on the numerous frauds and scams that claim victims every year.

“Recognizing a scam prevents it from happening,” according to RCMP Supt. Denis Desnoyers in a release. “Swindlers claim affiliation with reliable sources, provide believable answers to tough questions and hide the truth in the fine print. Protect yourself with the facts and be skeptical whenever a deal seems too good to be true.”

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