The Hindu : International / India & World : Canada absolves Indian-origin MP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 20, 2005

International

International - India & World

Canada absolves Indian-origin MP

TORONTO: An Indian-origin lawmaker in Canada, Gurmant Grewal, who is facing a probe for trying to defect in exchange for a cabinet post, got some reprieve as the police and federal transport regulators cleared him of any wrongdoing in a Vancouver Airport incident where he asked waiting passengers to carry a package to Ottawa for him.

Mr. Grewal, who is also embroiled in a controversy over his citizenship, had gone on stress leave after the tapes he covertly made of talks with senior Liberals about his possible defection to the party became public and he was seen asking other passengers in a waiting area of Vancouver airport to carry a package, allegedly carrying the tapes, for him to Ottawa.

But the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said there was nothing criminal about the Newton-North Delta Member of Parliament's actions at the airport.

An RCMP official said they never launched a full-scale investigation because Mr. Grewal had already cleared airport security before his actions drew attention. ``It was a safety concern for the airline, but once everybody goes through security you can exchange packages as long as everybody knows what's in the package,'' he was quoted as saying by media here. Transport Canada has also cleared Mr. Grewal. In a letter to the MP, the agency's manager of security operations said Mr. Grewal did not contravene the Aeronautics Act. — PTI

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