{"id":264056,"date":"2023-03-13T15:31:16","date_gmt":"2023-03-13T20:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=264056"},"modified":"2023-03-15T12:44:19","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T17:44:19","slug":"canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Lawmaker Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A former Canadian lawmaker accused of peddling influence for cash to clear gambling debts was acquitted by a judge at Ontario\u2019s Superior Court Friday.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_264057\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-264057\" data-style=\"width: 1086px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-264057 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg\" alt=\"Raj Grewal, Ontario, Casino du Lac-Leamy\" width=\"1086\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal-858x553.jpg 858w, https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal-430x277.jpg 430w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1086px) 100vw, 1086px\" \/><figcaption  id=\"caption-attachment-264057\"class=\"text-description\">Raj Grewal, before his 2018 resignation from the Liberal caucus. A judge said Friday that despite admitting to a gambling problem, the former politician shouldn&#8217;t have been prosecuted for corruption. (Image: <em>The Star<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal faced allegations that he helped businessmen gain access to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and greased the skids on immigration applications in return for loans.<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<p>Grewal had developed a prodigious gambling habit that saw him amass considerable debt at Casino du Lac-Leamy near Ottawa. The former MP for Brampton, Ontario, gambled millions of dollars on blackjack at the casino from 2015 to 2018, according to court documents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The casino\u2019s standard disclosure to FINTRAC, Canada\u2019s federal financial intelligence agency, prompted an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.<\/p>\n<p>Grewal left the federal Liberal caucus in 2018 when the investigation and the extent of his gambling problem came to light. He chose not to stand for reelection in 2019.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>No Quid Pro Quo<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Justice Sylvia Corthorn said there was no evidence that Grewal was guilty of breach of trust charges or that he had used his political office to solicit loans. She issued a directed verdict, which meant she dismissed the case based on the prosecution\u2019s case before the defense delivered its argument.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I conclude that a reasonable jury, properly instructed, could not render a verdict of guilty,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Given the chance, lawyers for Grewal wou<\/strong><strong>ld have argued his actions weren&#8217;t criminal. He had merely relied on financial support from the local Sikh community, of which he is a member.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors cited two Brampton-area businessmen who had each given Grewal a $200K loan. These men had accompanied the MP on Trudeau\u2019s 2018 visit to India but denied they expected access to the prime minister in return.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u2018Fragile\u2019 Prosecution<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Outside court, Grewal\u2019s lawyer, Nader Hasan, said a \u201cgrave cultural misunderstanding\u201d lay at \u201cthe fragile core of this prosecution.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"main-blockquote\"><p>I hope that the RCMP and the Crown attorney&#8217;s office treat today as a teachable moment and that future investigations into allegations of political corruption will follow the evidence with an understanding of the diverse cultures and values that make Canada a country we can all be proud of,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hasan added that investigators had failed to simply ask why the two businessmen had lent Grewal money. Instead, they concluded there was \u201csomething nefarious afoot\u201d when the real explanation was more prosaic.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what I take issue with \u2014 the tunnel vision,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A former Canadian lawmaker accused of peddling influence for cash to clear gambling debts was acquitted by a judge at Ontario\u2019s Superior Court Friday. Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal faced allegations that he helped businessmen gain access to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and greased the skids on immigration applications in return for loans. Grewal had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":264057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81887,21,60,61],"tags":[85453,37,85452],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Canada Pol Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Raj Grewal, former Canada federal MP, cleared of trading access to PM Justin Trudeau to get loans to pay gambling debts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Canada Pol Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Raj Grewal, former Canada federal MP, cleared of trading access to PM Justin Trudeau to get loans to pay gambling debts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-13T20:31:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-15T17:44:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1086\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/\",\"name\":\"Canada Pol Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-13T20:31:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-15T17:44:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"Raj Grewal, former Canada federal MP, cleared of trading access to PM Justin Trudeau to get loans to pay gambling debts.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg\",\"width\":1086,\"height\":700,\"caption\":\"Raj Grewal, prior to his 2018 resignation from the Liberal caucus. Despite admitting to a gambling problem, the ex-politician should not have been prosecuted for corruption, a judge said Friday. (Image: The Star)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Canadian Gaming\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canadian-gaming\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Canadian Lawmaker Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\",\"name\":\"Philip Conneller\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-5-1-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-5-1-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Philip Conneller\"},\"description\":\"In Philip Conneller\u2019s eight years with Casino.org, he has covered the gaming industry from Las Vegas to Macau and everything in between. He currently focuses his coverage on gaming law, white-collar crime, global money laundering, tribal gaming, politics, and regulation. Philip was the original features editor for poker\u2019s Bluff Magazine and editor for Bluff Europe, which he helped launch. His writing has also been featured in ESPN, Forbes, Time Out, The Sun, and The Daily Star, as well as iGaming Business, eGaming Review, and numerous other industry news and tech websites. His news stories for Casino.org\/news have been linked by The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, People Magazine, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, among many others. Philip once won $20,000 with 7-2 off-suit. He has been reprimanded for unwittingly playing Elton John\u2019s piano on two separate occasions on both sides of the Atlantic. He became a writer because he is a lousy pianist. Philip lives outside London with his wife and children, where he spends his time agonizing about Arsenal FC. Contact Philip at philip.conneller@casino.org.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/muckrack.com\/philip-conneller\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/philip-conneller-1495a48\/?originalSubdomain=uk\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/casinoorgphilc\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/phillip-conneller\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Canada Pol Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts","description":"Raj Grewal, former Canada federal MP, cleared of trading access to PM Justin Trudeau to get loans to pay gambling debts.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Canada Pol Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts","og_description":"Raj Grewal, former Canada federal MP, cleared of trading access to PM Justin Trudeau to get loans to pay gambling debts.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2023-03-13T20:31:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-15T17:44:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1086,"height":700,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Philip Conneller","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@casinoorgphilc","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Philip Conneller","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/","name":"Canada Pol Cleared of Peddling Influence to Pay Gambling Debts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg","datePublished":"2023-03-13T20:31:16+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-15T17:44:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b"},"description":"Raj Grewal, former Canada federal MP, cleared of trading access to PM Justin Trudeau to get loans to pay gambling debts.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/canada-pol-cleared-of-peddling-influence-to-pay-gambling-debts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/raj_grewal.jpg","width":1086,"height":700,"caption":"Raj Grewal, prior to his 2018 resignation from the Liberal caucus. Despite admitting to a gambling problem, the ex-politician should not have been prosecuted for corruption, a judge said Friday. 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He currently focuses his coverage on gaming law, white-collar crime, global money laundering, tribal gaming, politics, and regulation. Philip was the original features editor for poker\u2019s Bluff Magazine and editor for Bluff Europe, which he helped launch. His writing has also been featured in ESPN, Forbes, Time Out, The Sun, and The Daily Star, as well as iGaming Business, eGaming Review, and numerous other industry news and tech websites. His news stories for Casino.org\/news have been linked by The Washington Post, The Daily Mail, People Magazine, and Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, among many others. Philip once won $20,000 with 7-2 off-suit. He has been reprimanded for unwittingly playing Elton John\u2019s piano on two separate occasions on both sides of the Atlantic. He became a writer because he is a lousy pianist. Philip lives outside London with his wife and children, where he spends his time agonizing about Arsenal FC. 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