Former Windsor councillor named in lawsuit launched by South Asian Centre of Windsor

A former Windsor city councillor has been named in a civil lawsuit launched by the South Asian Centre of Windsor (SACW).

Jeewen Gill, elected in 2020 as Ward 7 Councillor, is one of the defendants in an $850,000 lawsuit for damages related to the alleged misappropriation of its charitable funds.

Gill served as director from 2014 to 2023, serving as secretary, vice president, and acting president, with the role of treasurer from January 2022 to July 2023.

The lawsuit states Gill was negligent and breached his fiduciary duty by failing to adequately oversee the organization’s funds and alert others alleged misconduct by SACW's former president, Dr. Sushil Jain.

According to the statement of claim, Jain abruptly resigned as president of SACW on April 13, 2023.

"The financial circumstance has created a lot of stress for my clients," said David Robbins, lawyer for the SACW. "It has also affected their ability to secure further grant funds from various grant funders who have legitimate concern about grant money having gone missing."

Jain served as a director from approximately 2011 to 2023, holding the position of president from 2014 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2023.

The lawsuit follows SACW's discovery of financial irregularities after Jain’s departure.

“We have implemented necessary financial controls to prevent future misconduct and are committed to recovering the missing funds to ensure SACW can continue providing essential services and programming for our community,” said Dr. Fazle Baki, the current president of SACW in a statement to CTV News Windsor.

CTV News spoke with Gill regarding the lawsuit. He claims he has not received the statement of claim. Once he reviews the documents, he will provide comment.

Jain’s lawyer Laura Joy tells CTV News he has pleaded not-guilty.

CTV has spoken with him. He says he will not be commenting on the matter.