3 more women accuse billionaire Frank Stronach of sex assault, bringing total to 13
Stronach, 92, faces 18 charges in all, for sex crime allegations in Ontario since 1977
Three more women have come forward to allege historical sex offences against embattled billionaire Frank Stronach, CBC News has learned.
Stronach is facing five new charges, including sexual assault and indecent assault. The charges stem from alleged incidents in Toronto in 1981 and 1983 and in the nearby hamlet of Gormley, Ont., in 1993, according to information shared by a clerk at a Brampton courthouse on Wednesday.
In all, 13 women have told police that Stronach, now 92, assaulted them. He faces a total of 18criminal charges, including rapeand forcible confinement.
CBC initially reported the businessman is facing four new charges, but a source with knowledge of the case confirmed on Thursday that one other additional charge had also been added. The Brampton courthouse was unable to provide a detailed charge sheet on Wednesday.
The earliest allegations against the Magna International founder date back to 1977, while the most recent assault is alleged to have occurred this past February.
Stronach was first arrested in June by police from Peel Region, west of Toronto. He was ordered to hand over his passport and to not have contact with any of the complainants.
At the time, Peel police asked anyone with relevant information about the case to come forward.
Magna launches review
In the wake of the allegations against Stronach and "in response to the Peel Police," Magna International has initiatedwhat it describes as "a targeted review of historical records," and it has retained the help of two outside law firms "to support this review."The Globe and Mail first reported this development,but a company spokesperson confirmed it to CBC News as well.
"This review process is complicated with the passage of time (going back 40 to 50 years), but should relevant information be located, we will follow a strict protocol to respect the legal rights of all and co-operate with authorities,"Tracy Fuerst, the spokesperson,said via email.
Stronach's case is scheduled to return to the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton next Monday.
The Austrian-born business magnate has denied wrongdoing and suggested his accusers are motivated by money.
"We have a lot of data which totally will prove those things are lies," Stronach said in an interview with CBC's The Fifth Estate in August. "But I feel sorry for the women that made those charges."
His lawyer, Leora Shemesh, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday on the new charges.
A Peel Regional Police spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing court case.
Stronach, a resident of Aurora, north of Toronto, is a member of the Order of Canada, the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and the Michigan-based Automotive Hall of Fame. In 2018, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth to be $1.5 billion US.
He initially made his fortune from Magna, the Ontario-based auto parts manufacturer he founded in 1957. He later spun off subsidiaries specializing in horse racing and entertainment that now fall under the Stronach Group. Heis no longer directly involved in either firm.
A judge recently denied a request to compel the Stronach Group's CEO, Belinda Stronach, and others to disclose documents related to any sexual misconduct complaints levelled at the company's founder.
The motion had been brought by Stronach's granddaughter Selena, whose lawyers alleged that business records likely illustrate a pattern of wrongdoing and corporate cover-ups.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Osborne dismissed Selena's motion in August, finding there is "simply no evidence in the record that the requested documents exist."
With files from CBC News
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