New charges against Frank Stronach involve 7 additional plaintiffs: court documents

Billionaire businessman Frank Stronach is accused of sexually assaulting seven more plaintiffs from 1977 to February, court documents filed Friday show, bringing the total number of accusers in his case to 10.

Stronach, 91, who was first charged in early June with five sex offenses involving three complainants, faced eight additional charges this week after Peel Regional Police said they identified more victims.

Court documents filed in a court in Brampton, Ont., shed more light on the latest charges, which stem from incidents that allegedly took place in Toronto, surrounding areas and elsewhere in Ontario.

Stronach is accused of attempted rape and indecent assault on a woman between June 1977 and January 1978, as well as six other sexual assaults that allegedly occurred in the 1980s, 1990s, early 2000s and this year, the documents show.

The five indictments previously filed against the founder of auto parts giant Magna involve allegations dating from the 1980s to 2023.

Stronach’s attorney, Brian Greenspan, said his client denies all allegations against him and plans to “vigorously” defend his reputation.

“He has spent his life dedicated to the betterment of Canadian community and industry,” Greenspan wrote in a statement this week, saying Stronach plans to continue his advocacy work.

Stronach is scheduled to appear in court in Brampton on July 8.

Stronach, who was born in Austria, became one of Canada’s richest men, creating Magna in his garage in 1957 and growing it into one of the world’s largest auto parts suppliers.

He also founded The Stronach Group, a company specializing in horse racing, and founded Stronach International in 2018, a company focusing on organic food and “micro-electric mobility”.

Stronach resigned as chairman of Magna in 2011 and founded his own political party in his native Austria the following year.

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

In 2018, Frank Stronach 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 on them. The lawsuit was settled in 2020 with a settlement that split the family fortune into two factions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 28, 2024.

Sonja Puzic, Canadian Press