Indian-origin MP demands resignation of Canadian prime minister over SNC-Lavalin bribery case

Newly elected Indian-origin lawmaker Jagmeet Singh on Thursday called for a "national public inquiry" into the alleged SNC-Lavalin bribery case and joined the Opposition in demanding the resignation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The SNC Lavalin case is haunting the ruling Liberal party and the government. According to media reports, Trudeau's close aides had lobbied former Justice Minister and Auditor General Joy Wilson-Raybould to abandon plans prosecute the Quebec-based engineering company over accusations of fraud and bribery. Instead, they requested her to pursue a deferred prosecution agreement, which allowed the company to pay a fine.

The prime minister has lost the moral authority to govern and must resign, said the 40-year-old New Democratic Party (NDP) leader, who on Wednesday won the by-election to the Canadian Parliament from British Columbia's the Burnaby South constituency seat.

He joined the Opposition Conservative party leader Andrew Seers to seek the Canadian prime minister's resignation following a gruelling four-hour non-stop testimony by Wilson-Raybould before parliament's justice committee.

Terming her testimony as "explosive and incredibly damaging", the Opposition demanded a through probe into the matter to get to the bottom of the scandal.

In her testimony, Wilson-Raybould said she had faced "intense political pressure and even veiled threats relating to the SC-Lavalin case affairs."
Refuting the charges, Tradeau said that while he discussed the issue with Wilson-Raybould, he maintained that was "it not inappropriate?"