The federal Liberals are demanding that Prime Minister Stephen Harper call in the RCMP to investigate whether certain aspects of the alleged "in-and-out" election spending scheme may have violated the Criminal Code.

"Mr. Harper perhaps has an obligation himself, I would argue, as a political leader who claims to be interested in transparency and integrity to call in the police … where it appears there may have been Criminal Code infractions," Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc told reporters during a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday.

"I would think a prime minister that's interested in more than simply photo opportunities and bland phrases might actually call in the police and say, 'Look, this is a situation that worries me greatly and I want to make sure that it's thoroughly investigated.'"

According to documents, about 700 pages that include search warrants and a sworn affidavit, Elections Canada accuses the Conservatives of exceeding their campaign spending limit in the last federal election by more than $1 million, and making "false and misleading" statements in their financial returns.

Elections Canada alleges the Conservatives engaged in a so-called "in-and-out" scheme — directing money to local candidates, who then transferred the funds back to the party to spend on more advertising for the national campaign.

The elaborate plan involved the participation of 67 candidates, including four cabinet ministers, Elections Canada alleges.

None of the allegations has been proven in court and Harper has insisted his party followed the law in the last federal election.

Calls for suspension of officials

LeBlanc said that according to the affidavit, a Conservative ad firm told investigators it was possible an invoice submitted to Elections Canada by the Conservative party may have been altered or created by someone.

"This raises questions of possible breaches to the Criminal Code, including forgery fraud and falsification of documents," LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc also called on Harper to suspend all political officials alleged to be connected to the alleged spending scheme, including Transportation Minister Lawrence Cannon, Harper's deputy chief of staff and a senior policy adviser to government House leader Peter Van Loan.

LeBlanc said these people should be singled out because they "appeared to have been involved in the design and implementation of the in-and-out scheme" and not merely participants.

LeBlanc said his party is not suggesting they are guilty of any kind of criminal conduct, but that Harper should ask them to step aside during the investigation.