A 91-year-old Canadian auto parts tycoon was arrested on rape and sex assault charges involving mutiple accusers, according to reports Saturday.
The allegations against Frank Stronach date from the 1980s to 2023, and authorities in Ontario asked anyone with information or who claims to have been attacked to contact them.
"Obviously, this is a high-profile case. Our special victims unit is bound to protect the victims and in doing so that's why were are being vague," Peel Regional Police Constable Tyler Bell said, according to the Associated Press. "There is more than one victim but we won't confirm that number yet."
Stronach was arrested Friday in the tony Toronto suburb of Aurora and charged with five counts including rape and sexual assault, Reuters reported.
He was released on conditions and is due to appear in court on an unspecified date.
Stronach's defense lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said he "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," Greenspan said.
Stronach, trained as a took-and-die maker, became one of Canada's wealthiest people by founding the Magna International company in his garage and building it into one of the world's largest auto parts suppliers.
His personal fortune was once estimated as high as $1.7 billion, but Forbes removed him from its list of billionaires in 2019.
A company spokesperson said he's had no affiliation with Magna since he gave up control in 2010.
"Magna has no knowledge of the investigation or the allegations that have been raised beyond what has been reported in the media," spokesperson Dave Niemiec said.
Stronach was born in Austria and returned there to found an eponymous political party, Team Stronach, and mount a bid for prime minister in 2012.
But the anti-establishment party won just 6% of the vote in parliamentary elections the following year, and Stronach returned to Canada and retired from politics.
