The son of the billionaire founder of fashion giant Mango has been arrested in Barcelona after his father died falling off a mountain nearly two years ago.
Tycoon Isak Andic, 71, was hiking with his son Jonathan, 45, near the Catalan city when he plunged around 500ft down a cliff to his death in late 2024.
Having opened and then closed an investigation in to the fatal fall, police confirmed the death was being investigated as a possible homicide in October.
Jonathan Andic has always protested his innocence and insisted his father died by accident.
But this morning he was facing formal questioning, with Catalan daily La Vanguardia claiming he had been arrested on suspicion of homicide.
A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police said this morning: ‘Everything is under a secrecy order and at the moment we can’t say anything.’
Shortly after his arrest, Jonathan’s family issued a statement which said: ‘Jonathan Andic is currently testifying as part of the proceedings regarding the accident of December 14, 2024.
‘At this time we cannot add much more because the case is under judicial secrecy. The collaboration has been and will continue to be maximum within the framework of these proceedings.’
Jonathan Andic arrives at a Barcelona court today, where he will be questioned in connection with the death of his father, who fell off a Spanish mountain nearly two years ago
Jonathan (above) was the only person with his 71-year-old father, Isak Andic, when he died after plunging nearly 500ft during a mountain walk near Barcelona
Helicopters attempt to recover the businessman’s body after the incident in December 2024
Jonathan was photographed today being escorted into a court in Martorell by at least three officers with his head bowed.
Jonathan later paid one million euros in bail following his arrest.
He was ordered to surrender his passport, appear weekly before the court, and was banned from leaving the country, the court said in a statement, adding that the case was being ‘investigated as a charge of homicide’.
Turkish immigrant Mr Andic and his son were visiting the Collbato Caves in the heart of the magical Monserrat mountain near the Catalan capital when the Mango owner died.
Respected Spanish newspaper El Pais reported in October last year that police were probing Mr Andic’s death as a possible homicide, and Jonathan had been formally placed under investigation by the courts after previously being treated as a witness.
Several other Spanish media outlets carried the same claims in follow-up reports.
Contradictions in Mr Andic’s son’s two statements and the ‘complex’ relationship between the entrepreneur and Jonathan were said to have been behind the judge’s reported decision, which Jonathan’s representatives later disputed, to place him under formal investigation.
It has previously been claimed the 45-year-old told officers he had left his car in one place and it was in another, or that he hadn’t taken photos of the area when he had.
An Andic family spokesman said at the time: ‘The Andic family has not made any comments over the past few months regarding the death of Isak Andic, nor will it do so in the future.
‘However, it wishes to show its respect for the proceedings that have been carried out in this regard and will continue to cooperate with the competent authorities as it has done until now.
‘It is also confident that this process will be concluded as soon as possible and that Jonathan Andic’s innocence will be proven.’
A secrecy order imposed on the case by the investigating judge, a tool commonly used in Spain to protect judicial probes, especially in their infancy, has limited the amount of information civil servants can disclose.
Mr Andic, also the father of two daughters, Judith and Sarah, founded Mango along with his brother Nahman in 1984.
By March 2024, more than 14,000 employees worked for the company in more than 2,700 stores operating in over 110 countries, with 45 stores in the UK.
Mr Andic was a Turkish-Spanish businessman who co-funded clothing retailer Mango
It went on to announce it was teaming up with Victoria Beckham to launch a new capsule collection to mark its 40th anniversary.
Forbes had estimated Mr Andic’s net worth shortly before his death at $4.5 billion, making him Catalonia’s richest man and one of Spain’s wealthiest people.
Catalan president Salvador Illa said on X after learning about Mr Andic’s death: ‘Devastated by the loss of Isak Andic, a committed businessman who, with his leadership, has contributed to making Catalonia great and projecting it to the world.
‘He leaves an indelible mark on the Catalan and global fashion sector. My condolences and those of the entire Government to the family, friends, and the Mango team.’
El Pais reported last year: ‘To date, investigators have found no direct, let alone definitive, evidence that would allow them to conclude exactly what happened that morning in Montserrat.
‘However, over the months, they have come across a series of clues which, taken together, have led them to dismiss the idea of a mere accident and consider the possibility that it was a homicide.
‘The statements made by two witnesses were key to this change of direction.
‘One is Jonathan Andic, one of the businessman’s three children, the only son and the only one who was with him at the time of the incident.
Mr Andic with Jonathan at Barcelona Fashion Week in 2012
‘His explanations have been inconsistent and have fuelled suspicion.
‘Not only was his first statement, given under the strong emotional impact of the event, erratic.
‘His second statement, made some time later, when he was calmer, was also erratic.
‘The witness contradicted himself in any case, left gaps in his account, and described events that were inconsistent with the results of the on-site inspection carried out by the police on the mountain of Montserrat.
‘The second relevant testimony in the case was that of Estefania Knuth, a professional golfer and the businessman’s partner in the last years of his life.
‘According to sources close to the investigation, Knuth emphasised the poor relationship between father and son.’
