Canadian businessman Frank Stronach charged in Peel police sexual assault investigation

Police say they have arrested a prominent Canadian businessman in a sexual assault investigation and charged him with several alleged offences, including rape.

Peel Regional Police, to the west of Toronto, said on Friday evening that they had arrested 91-year-old Frank Stronach in relation to alleged sexual assaults dating back decades.

“It is alleged that the sexual assaults spanned from the 1980s to as recent as 2023,” investigators said in a statement.

Peel police confirmed to Global News that the Frank Stronach they arrested was the Canadian businessman, and said he had been released with conditions pending a court date.

Stronach faces five criminal charges: rape, indecent assault on a female, two counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.

According to a biography on the University of Toronto’s website introducing Stronach as an “executive in residence,” he came to Canada in 1954 from Austria.

He made his money in auto parts, with billions of dollars in sales across the world.

Stronach’s lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said his client “categorically denies the allegations of impropriety which have been brought against him. 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 Stronach Group, founded by Stronach, issued a statement confirming it is aware of the “serious charges” against Frank Stronach but that he “has not had a formal role or been involved with company operations in any capacity for several years.”

The statement concluded that the matter is before the courts and the company has nothing further to say.

Peel police said they were appealing for anyone with more information — or who believed there were more alleged victims — to come forward.