Canadian police charged Frank Stronach, an auto parts tycoon and former thoroughbred owner/breeder, with rape, assault, and forcible imprisonment, following allegations dating back to the 1980s and continuing until last year.
The 91-year-old founder of car parts manufacturer Magna International was released on bond after being arrested on Friday.
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“We arrested Frank Stronach and charged him with five criminal offenses: rape, indecent assault on a female, sexual assault twice, and forceful detention. Peel Regional Police published a media statement on Friday, releasing him on conditions and announcing his appearance at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton at a later date.
“Police are appealing to members of the public to come forward if they have any relevant information.”
Aurora, a suburb north of Toronto, Ontario, is the site of the alleged assaults.
Stronach has retained the famed Canadian defense attorney, Brian Greenspan.
“Mr. Stronach categorically denies the allegations of impropriety that have been brought against him,” Greenspan said in a statement Friday.
“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.”
The next court date for Stronach is July 8.
Austrian-born Stronach received the Order of Canada in 1999.
He created Magna in Aurora, Ontario, in 1957, but has had no involvement with the auto parts behemoth since relinquishing ownership in 2010.
He later engaged in a public struggle with his daughter, Belinda Stronach, a former Canadian member of Parliament and Minister of Employment. The two were in conflict over control of the family riches and the privately owned Stronach Group, which has interests in real estate, entertainment, and thoroughbred horse racing.
The family has a lengthy history in the horse racing industry.
Stronach established Adena Springs, a worldwide racing and breeding organization. He won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder eight times and Outstanding Owner four times. Five of his horses have earned Eclipse Awards.
In 2018, he got the Eclipse Award of Merit, which is considered the sport’s top distinction.
Stronach was the former head of the Stronach Group, which owns Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness Stakes.
In 2012, he founded the far-right populist Team Stronach party in an attempt to become Austrian Prime Minister, but failed in the 2013 election, and the group disbanded in 2017.
