Canadian police announced on Friday the arrest of Austrian-Canadian auto parts billionaire Frank Stronach on sexual assault charges that span decades.
Peel Regional Police said Stronach, 91, was charged with five felonies including rape, sexual assault of a woman, sexual assault and forcible confinement.
The police statement said that he was released on conditions, and will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Ontario at a later date.
Tyler Bell, a Peel Regional Police official, said there was more than one defendant, but he declined to specify how many.
Tyler added, “It is clear that this is a high-profile case. The Special Victims Unit is obligated to protect the victims, and for this reason we were vague. There is more than one victim, but we will not confirm the number yet.”
Stronach’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Canadian police allege the sexual assaults occurred from the 1980s to 2023. Bell said they are appealing for people to come forward if they have information or are victims, according to the Associated Press.
Stronach, who was born in Austria, became one of the richest people in Canada by starting Magna in his garage in 1957 and turning it into one of the world’s largest suppliers of auto parts.
He also founded the Stronach Group, a company specializing in horse racing. He made a brief foray into Austrian politics more than a decade ago, and was awarded the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours.
A Magna spokesman said Stronach had no relationship with the company since it relinquished control in 2010.
“We recently learned of the charges against Frank Stronach,” Dave Nemec said in an email Friday evening. “Magna has no knowledge of the investigation or allegations raised beyond what has been reported in the media.”
Nemec said the company would not comment further on the ongoing legal matter.
It is noteworthy that in 2018, Frank filed a lawsuit against his daughter, two of his grandchildren, and his former business partner, Alon Osip, in the Ontario Superior Court, claiming that they mismanaged the family assets and conspired to control them.
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