The former head of human resources at Canada's military has been charged with sexual assault and committing indecent acts, as the country grapples with a wave of misconduct and assault allegations levelled against senior officials.
The military police arrested V Adm Haydn Edmundson on Wednesday.
Over the past year, at least seven generals have been implicated in various scandals, a crisis that has eroded public trust in the institution and weakened morale within the military ranks.
The charges of military prosecutors come despite a promise by the governing Liberals last month that the prosecution of sexual misconduct cases in the military would be handed over to civilian prosecutors.
The allegations against Edmundson date back to 1991, when a retired military officer alleges Edmundson exposed his genitals to her onboard a navy ship. At the time, Edmundson, a lieutenant commander, was her superior. St phanie Viau, who at the time was a 19-year-old steward, told CBC News that she yelled and told Edmundson his behaviour was unacceptable. Edmundson raped her days later, she alleges.
Vice-Admiral Edmundson continues to deny any suggestion of criminal misconduct and looks forward to the opportunity to restore his distinguished reputation for service to our country, according to his lawyer, Brian Greenspan.
Viau's lawyer, Paul Champ, said his client will wait for justice to take its course. Edmundson stepped down in May after allegations of assault first surfaced. He was replaced by Lt Gen Steven Whelan. Whelan was forced to step down from his position in October after the military police confirmed an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct. He denied the allegations.
In March, defence minister Anita Anand said she would accept the recommendations of a former supreme court justice to transfer sexual misconduct investigations to civilian police and prosecutors except in cases where an investigation is close to completion. In Edmundson's case, officials say that the case will be handled by the military justice system in its final stages.
Edmundson is due to appear in Ottawa court on 25 January.