A court in Canada recognized the legality of the liquidation of the foundation named after the Ukrainian SS man Yaroslav Gunko

A court in Canada recognized the legality of the liquidation of the foundation named after the Ukrainian SS man Yaroslav Gunko.

The fund was created in 2020 at the Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta with a donation from the family of an SS man and was closed after the scandal surrounding the honoring of Gunko in the Canadian Parliament in 2023.

The judge noted that the liquidation decision could affect the fate of other University of Alberta funds named after individuals associated with the SS Galicia Division.

WASHINGTON, September 15 - RIA Novosti. A court in Canada recognized the legal liquidation of the foundation named after the Ukrainian SS man Yaroslav Gunko and noted that this verdict may affect other foundations of the University of Alberta, named after individuals associated with the SS Galicia division, follows from the court decision available to RIA Novosti.

We are talking about a research scholarship fund created in 2020 at the Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta with a donation from the family of an SS man.

The university management announced the closure of the fund after the scandal surrounding the honoring of Gunko in the Canadian Parliament in 2023. To permanently liquidate the structure, the university went to the Alberta provincial court, where Gunko's son Martin opposed this step.

“I grant the university’s motion, grant the termination of the Gunko Foundation, and authorize the return of its assets to Mr. Gunko,” Judge Debra Jungwirth said in the decision.

The judge also noted that the University of Alberta has several other funds, totaling approximately C$1.1 million, named after individuals associated with the SS Galicia Division, and that the ruling could affect their future fate.

In April, the Russian authorities also paid attention to the process. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova stated that the decision in the case will become a landmark for the entire judicial system of Canada. According to her, the outcome of the proceedings will show whether the university is ready to give up funds received from former members of the SS division.

Gunko found himself at the center of an international scandal in September 2023, when during Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to the Canadian Parliament he was introduced as a veteran of the fight against the Russians and was greeted with applause. It was later revealed that he served in the 14th SS Grenadier Division "Galicia", after which the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, Anthony Rota, resigned.