Testimony in fraud trial examines financial practices at Windsor community organization

The president of the South Asian Centre of Windsor took the stand on Tuesday in an ongoing fraud trial.

Testimony in the fraud trial of Dr. Sushil Jain focused Tuesday on the financial practices of a local cultural organization at the centre of the case.

Jain, 81, has pleaded not guilty to charges including fraud over $5,000, laundering the proceeds of crime, and possession of property obtained by crime. Windsor police have alleged more than $360,000 was misappropriated from the South Asian Centre of Windsor over a period of years.

Dr. Fazel Baki, the organization’s current president, was questioned in court by defence lawyer Laura Joy about how the centre handled grant funding and membership fees.

Court heard the defence describe the organization’s financial practices as “sloppy,” suggesting that contributed to an independent audit planned for May 2023 not taking place.

Baki testified that the audit could not proceed without key bank statements.

The defence also reviewed email exchanges between Baki and Jain from April 2023, when the two were working through a transition in leadership at the organization.

Joy suggested Baki held a bias against Jain — an assertion Baki rejected, telling the court the matter was “nothing personal.”

Baki was also questioned about his past role on a Windsor police committee and discrepancies in media reports describing his position with the centre, which he said were honest mistakes.

The charges stem from a police investigation launched after concerns were raised about the organization’s finances in 2023.

A related civil lawsuit has also been filed by the centre seeking to recover funds. Former Windsor city councillor Jeewan Gill is named in that suit but was not in court Tuesday.

The trial, overseen by Justice Sharon Murphy, is expected to continue May 13. A forensic accountant is still expected to testify.