TORONTO — Austrian-Canadian auto parts billionaire Frank Stronach was arrested Friday on charges of sexual abuse spanning decades, police said Friday.
Stronach, 91, was charged with five crimes, including rape, indecent assault on a female, sexual assault and forcible confinement, Peel Regional Police said. He was released on conditions and will appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Ont., at a later date, the police statement said.
Peel Regional Police Constable Tyler Bell said there is more than one accuser, but declined to say how many.
“It is clear that this is a high-profile case. Our Special Victims Unit has an obligation to protect the victims and that is why we remain vague,” Bell said. “There is more than one victim, but we do not want to confirm that number yet.”
An attorney for Stronach did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police allege the assaults took place from the 1980s until 2023. Bell said they are calling on people to come forward if they have any information or have been victims.
The billionaire founder of Magna auto parts has also made major investments in horse racing and made a brief foray into Austrian politics more than a decade ago. He has been appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest honors.
A Magna spokesman said Stronach has had no ties to the company since relinquishing control in 2010.
“We were recently made aware of the charges against Frank Stronach,” Dave Niemiec said in an email Friday evening. “Magna has no knowledge of the investigation or allegations made beyond what has been reported in the media.”
Niemiec said the company would not comment further on the ongoing legal matter.
In 2018, Frank sued his daughter, two grandchildren and former business partner Alon Ossip for more than $500 million in Ontario Superior Court, alleging they mismanaged the family's assets and conspired to seize control of them to take.
Belinda Stronach, a former Canadian MP, has contradicted her father, saying in a defense statement that he lost huge sums of money on beloved projects.
