Canadian billionaire businessman Frank Stronach facing charges of rape, sexual assault

Canadian billionaire businessman Frank Stronach is facing a number of charges including rape and sexual assault in connection with alleged incidents dating back to the 1980s.

Police in Peel Region say they arrested the 91-year-old from Aurora on Friday and charged him with two counts of sexual assault, rape, indecent assault on a female and forcible confinement. He has been released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in court at an unconfirmed date to answer the charges.

Police did not elaborate on the incidents or who may have made the allegations, saying only that the alleged offences occurred from the 1980s up until as recently as 2023. They appealed to anyone with relevant information to come forward.

Const. Tyler Bell clarified there was “more than one” complainant in the case but refused to elaborate saying that releasing certain information might impact the privacy of the victims.

“We understand the significant public interest in this investigation. To protect the identity and privacy of the victims and to maintain the integrity of the judicial process, we will not be providing further information at this time,” he said.

Criminal defense lawyer Brian Greenspan said he is representing Stronach, who “categorically denies the allegations of impropriety which have been brought against him.”

“He looks forward to the opportunity to fully respond to the charges and to maintain his legacy, both as a philanthropist and as an icon of the Canadian business community,” Greenspan said in a statement.

Stronach is the founder of Magna International Inc., an international automotive parts manufacturer based in Aurora, Ont., which employs almost 170,000 people in 29 countries. He resigned as Magna’s chairman in 2011 and then stepped down from Magna’s board entirely the following year to focus on his political aspirations in his native Austria.

A Magna spokesperson said they were aware of charges against Stronach, but said he has had no affiliation with the company he founded since relinquishing control in 2010.

“We have recently been made aware of the charges filed against Frank Stronach,” Tracy Fuerst said in an email Friday evening to The Canadian Press. “Magna has no knowledge of the investigation or the allegations that have been raised beyond what has been reported in the media.”

Fuerst said the company would not provide any further comment on the ongoing legal matter.

Stronach also founded The Stronach Group, a company that specializes in horse racing, as well as founding Stronach International in 2018, a company focusing on organic foods and “micro-electric mobility.”

He is the father of former Canadian politician Belinda Stronach, who served as a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party before famously crossing the floor of the House of Commons to join the Liberals.

In 2018, he sued his daughter, two grandchildren and a former business associate for more than $500 million in Ontario Superior Court, alleging they mismanaged the family’s assets and conspired to take control of them. The lawsuit was settled in 2020 with a deal that split the family fortune across two factions.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report