Spanish police have arrested Jonathan Andic, the eldest son of Isaac Andic, the billionaire founder of the globally renowned clothing brand Mango, following suspicious inconsistencies found in testimonies related to Isaac's fatal cliff fall in 2024.
The Catalonia regional police department in Spain confirmed the arrest of Jonathan Andic, eldest son of Isaac Andic, founder of the global fashion brand Mango, after Isaac fell to his death from a cliff during a hiking trip in December 2024, according to local newspaper La Vanguardia.
On the day of the incident, Jonathan was alone with his 71-year-old father before the fashion retail magnate fell from a high cliff and died near the Salnitre Cave in Collbató, located in the Montserrat mountain area near Barcelona, characterized by steep cliffs and ravines.
Initially, investigators ruled the incident an accident, with preliminary findings suggesting Isaac likely slipped and fell. The judge closed the case in January 2025 due to lack of evidence indicating criminal wrongdoing.
However, the Catalonia police investigation team, together with prosecutors and the court, decided to reopen the case in October 2025 after discovering "several inconsistencies and suspicious elements" in Jonathan Andic's testimony. Multiple Spanish media outlets reported that the father and son had a tense relationship and had a serious argument shortly before the incident.
Jonathan Andic continues to deny all accusations, maintaining he had no involvement in his father's death and insists the event was an accident. He is set to appear in court in Martorell, near Barcelona, for detailed questioning by a judge within the next few hours.
Meanwhile, the Andic family issued a statement expressing confidence in Jonathan's innocence, stating, "Our family will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities as we have done previously. We also believe the justice process will conclude swiftly and prove that Jonathan Andic is innocent."
Isaac Andic was born in 1953 in Istanbul, Turkey, into a Sephardic Jewish family before relocating to Catalonia, Spain, in the 1960s at age 14. He began his fashion career selling clothes and shoes at markets at 17, eventually expanding to open stores and founding the Mango brand in 1984, building it into one of Spain's largest textile empires and a global competitor to major brands like Zara.
Before his death, Isaac Andic served as the non-executive chairman of Mango and was ranked by Forbes magazine with a net worth of $4.5 billion (approximately 150 billion Thai baht).
. . .euronews/independent