Rahim Jaffer leaves the courthouse in Orangeville, Ontario on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. (Chris Young/CP)

Drunk driving and drug possession charges were dropped against former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer in court Tuesday, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of careless driving.

Jaffer, 38, was ordered to pay a $500 fine within a month. He will also donate $500 to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, his lawyer said. "I'm sure you can recognize a break when you see one," Ontario Court Justice Doug Maund told Jaffer in the Orangeville, Ont., courthouse.

An agreed statement of facts read in court said that on Sept. 10, an Ontario Provincial Police constable pulled Jaffer over after clocking him at 93 km/h in a 50 km/h speed zone in Palgrave, a village northwest of Toronto. The constable found Jaffer over the legal blood-alcohol limit. Jaffer said he had consumed two beers two hours earlier and was travelling home from Toronto, according to the statement of facts.

Crown lawyer Marie Balogh said in court the other charges were dropped after a careful review of the case showed there were significant legal issues and no reasonable chance of conviction.

"I know I should have been more careful," Jaffer said. "I take full responsibility for my careless driving."After Jaffer's court appearance Tuesday, former Conservative MP Deborah Grey told reporters in Edmonton that he is a "lucky guy."

Margaret Miller, the national president of MADD Canada, said the plea deal involving Jaffer was a typical one and had gained attention only because of his prior involvement in politics.

"This happens every day in our Canadian courts," Miller said Tuesday.

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