Federal Immigration Minister Joe Volpe has asked the RCMP and Federal Ethics Commissioner to investigate two Conservative MPs, CTV News has learned.

CTV Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife reports that Volpe is alleging the two MPs offered to help immigrants in return for money.

In the first case, Volpe has asked the RCMP to investigate allegations that Alberta Tory MP Deepak Obhrai accepted $20,000 from his estranged brother-in law to help him get into Canada.

"I had some information that came to my hands and I handed it off to the same authorities," said Volpe.

Obhrai said his brother-in-law's allegations are false, and that the immigration minister is exploiting a family tragedy for political gain.

The man is married to the sister of Obhrai's wife.

"The bottom line is, he's making these allegations so he wants my sister-in-law to come back," Obhrai told CTV News.

The brother-in-law, who has since returned to India, has a restraining order against him in Canada for allegedly beating his wife and family.

The wife, who met with the ethics commissioner on Friday, said her husband fabricated the story.

"It is all a lie," Laxmi Anand told CTV News. "My brother-in-law didn't take any money from us. My ex-husband is saying everything is a lie because he wants me back."

Second claim

Volpe also has claimed that Surrey Tory MP Gurmant Grewal asked his B.C. constituents to post bonds of up to $100,000 in exchange for his help in obtaining temporary visas.

"I just left it off to the Ethics Commissioner and the RCMP for them to deal with it and I'll leave it at that," said Volpe.

Grewal denies he took money.

"Money is not a factor at all. No one has been asked to pay or deposit any money any where," he told CTV News.

Conservative campaign chair John Reynolds says the Liberals are using the police to smear the party.

"I'm absolutely ashamed that a minister of the government would go against other MPs, bringing in the RCMP and wasting taxpayers' dollars," he said.

Fife reports that the Liberals leaked the information to CTV, even though most ministerial referrals to the RCMP are kept confidential

With a report from CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife