Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 29

Former Canadian MP Raj Grewal's transactions worth millions of dollars and his movements have been under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's lens for a couple of months.

Raj Grewal had sprang a surprise for Punjabi diaspora and for the rest of Canadians by resigning all of a sudden on November 22 from his Parliament seat and the Liberal Caucus even as he was nominated by the Liberal Party from his Brampton East seat for the 2019 Federal polls.

Grewal was also being investigated by the Canadian Federal Ethics Commissioner for taking his business associate and chief executive of ZGemi Inc Yusuf Yenilmez along with him to India to an event of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the latter's trip to India.

The Canadian Prime Minister's office had said the MP was dealing with a gambling problem after Grewal had resigned. On his part, Grewal had cited "personal and medical reasons" behind his decision to step down saying he had struggled with the decision for some time and that he had made it with great difficulty and with real sadness, adding, "I feel I need this time to focus on my health and family."

The heavy transactions running into millions of dollars, according to a Toronto-based newspaper, included the ones made at Gatineu-based casino across the Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Grewal reportedly spent millions of dollars at the Casino du Lac-Leamy during past three years.

What had reportedly led to inquiries of the RCMP were the alleged heavy Casino transactions of Grewal and the mandatory Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) norms, which require casinos to report any transactions made by an individual above $10,000 a day. Grewal had allegedly exceeded this limit a couple of times. The RCMP sleuths had even reportedly followed him from the Parliament Hill to Casino du Lac-Leamy a number of times to investigate his 'gambling strides'.

Grewal was not available for comments over the phone.

While the RCMP was silent on the issue so far, the Prime Minister's Office had said last week that it was aware of the RCMP inquiries regarding the circumstances that were the subject of a complaint to the Ethics Commissioner about Grewal.

The top-end properties purchased by Grewal and his wife, including two condos (apartments), loans secured from Bank of Nova Scotia, Toronto Dominion Bank and Royal Bank of Canada, and vehicles purchased by the 33-year-old former MP were also said to be subjected to investigation by the RCMP.

Owed a huge debt of over $1 million

Grewal had been evincing 'extra ordinary' interest in the Canadian law enforcement agencies' competence and capability to track money laundering in the country and it had 'raised the eyebrows' of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) officials.

As a member of a committee, which conducted a review of Canada's regime against money-laundering, Grewal had reportedly sought minute details such the quantum of the FINTRAC resources and abilities to track every $10,000 or beyond transaction and even that how would one get away in case he or she exceeded this 'barrier'?

Interestingly, while the RCMP was discreetly probing Raj Grewal for his alleged multi-million dollar gambling pursuits, he had allegedly sought senior RCMP and other agency officials publicly to explain they ways by which they investigate money laundering.

The transcripts of committee's hearings depict that he was seeking details about such 'uncomfortable' questions from members of the law enforcement agencies like the FINTRAC, the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP.

FINTRAC was responsible for collection of data pertaining to financial dealings of more than $10,000 at casinos and other financial institutions like the banks.

The former Brampton East MP was a member of the powerful House of Commons finance committee which kept a tab and reviewed the money-laundering menace in Canada.

Raj Grewal reportedly informed one of his senior party officials that he owed a huge debt of over $1 million and that he was undergoing a gambling problem leading him to the financial quagmire.

The former MP's debt was also said to be under the Ontario Provincial Police's lens which was also investigating some suspects who might have been involved in shady drug money laundering.