Magna International founder Frank Stronach faces eight more sexual assault charges in Canada

Frank Stronach, the founder and long-retired CEO of Magna International, North America’s biggest auto parts supplier, faces eight additional criminal charges in connection with a sexual assault investigation by Toronto-area police.

Stronach, 91, was arrested and charged with attempted rape, indecent assault on a female and six counts of sexual assault, Peel Regional Police said June 26.

Investigators from the Peel Regional Police, Special Victims Unit, have identified additional victims and additional charges have been laid, police said.

Stronach was first arrested June 7, and charged with one count of rape, one count of indecent assault on a female, one count of forcible confinement and two counts of sexual assault.

The incidents related to the initial charges are alleged to have spanned from the 1980s to as recently as 2023.

Police did not indicate the time frame of the additional charges, however, a statement issued June 26 by Stronach’s Toronto lawyer, Brian Greenspan, indicated they date back to the 1970s.

“Mr. Stronach denies and will vigorously defend these further untested allegations dating back to 1977,” the statement said. “He has spent his lifetime committed to the betterment of the Canadian community and industry. He plans to continue to devote his energy and resources to his work advocating for the adoption of a Canadian Economic Charter of Rights to benefit workers, small businesses, family farmers, and the Canadian economy.”

Greenspan issued a statement in early June also stating that Stronach “categorically denies” all allegations.

Magna International, headquartered in Aurora, just outside of Toronto, said in a statement June 10 it had no knowledge of the investigation or the allegations.

“Mr. Stronach has had no affiliation with Magna since relinquishing control in 2010, the Magna statement said.
“For now, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot provide any further comment.”

Magna’s roots trace back to a one-man tool and die shop Austrian-born Stronach set up in 1957. He has been a major owner of horse-racing tracks and thoroughbreds, and played a role in Austrian politics. More recently, Stronach launched the Safe Affordable Reliable Innovative Transport, a company designed to build three-wheeled, single-seat electric vehicles in the Greater Toronto Area.

Stronach was awarded the Order of Canada in 1999. At the time of his investiture, he was described as one who personified “the great Canadian success story, building his firm from a simple tool and die shop based in his garage, into a leader in the automotive parts and systems industry.”