Frank Stronach trial delayed as defence asks for more time to review new evidence

The first of two sexual assault trials against Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach has been delayed.

The delay comes after Stronach’s lawyer requested Tuesdaymorning more time to review new disclosure documents.

Leora Shemesh told Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Malloy they’ve been receiving new disclosure for several weeks that they call “voluminous.”

She said they have tried to review the material quickly and were originally prepared to start the trial Tuesday as planned, but said they need more time to prepare.

Shemesh went on to ask to return on Thursday to provide another update, which Malloy said was reasonable.

Stronach’s trial was set to begin on Tuesday in Toronto over charges that include sexual assault and indecent assault.

The 93-year-old billionaire was first arrested in 2024 in relation to sexual assault allegations that date back decades.

Peel Regional Police originally charged Stronach with 18 offences involving 13 complainants in one single case, but it has since been split into two.

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The trial in Toronto will see Stronach facing a dozen charges involving seven complainants. It is a judge-only trial.

Malloy said on Tuesday that the trial will go into March, given the delay. The trial is expected to take about four weeks, and originally was set to end Feb. 27.

There is no statute of limitations in Canada for indictable offences, meaning someone can face trial years or decades later. Sexual assault is also considered a hybrid offence, meaning that, based on the specifics of the case, prosecutors can either proceed by indictment or as a summary offence.

Some of the charges faced in Toronto, such as rape and attempted rape, were abolished in the early 1980s as the Criminal Code was amended to create the offence of sexual assault.

Stronach rose to prominence after creating auto parts giant Magna International in a rented garage in the 1950s. He also founded Stronach Group, which specializes in horse racing. In 2018, he founded Stronach International, which focuses on organic foods and “micro-electric mobility.”

He stepped down from his role as chairman of Magna in 2011 and from its board a year later when he sought a political career in Austria, where he was first born.

Magna has said he has had no ties to the company since.

Even once the first trial comes to a close, Stronach will still have another trial pending to be held in Newmarket, Ont., later this spring.

That case involves five other charges and will be a jury trial.

Stronach has denied all allegations against him.

—with files from Global News’ Catherine McDonald and The Canadian Press