Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Spanish police have reopened the investigation into the death of Isaac Andic, founder of fashion giant Mango, after inconsistencies in his son Jonathan's testimony raised suspicions of murder less than a year after the billionaire's fatal fall.
A dramatic development has emerged in the case surrounding the death of Isaac Andic, the billionaire founder of the Spanish fashion brand "Mango".
Less than a year after Andic, the wealthiest man in Catalonia, died from a cliff fall, contradictions in the testimony of his son Jonathan have prompted authorities to reopen the investigation and question whether his death was truly a "tragic accident" during a family outing.
The billionaire’s partner, who clashed with his children over the division of the inheritance, testified that "relations between them were tense".
A little more than ten months have passed since Isaac Andic, founder of "Mango" and the richest man in Catalonia, died after falling from a cliff.
Spanish media now report dramatic new developments in the case: local police are re-examining the investigation and are not ruling out the possibility that he was murdered by his son Jonathan, who is now under investigation as a suspect.
Andic, aged seventy-one at the time of his death, died on December fourteenth, two thousand twenty-four, after falling into a ravine during a hike with his eldest son near the Salnitre Caves in Montserrat.
Police initially determined that his death resulted from a "tragic accident" and ruled out foul play.
However, due to inconsistencies in the son’s testimony, the case is now being reviewed.
Last month, the court changed Jonathan’s status from witness to suspect due to "contradictory statements" regarding the incident.
According to the Spanish newspaper "El País," police "encountered a series of clues which, taken together, led them to move away from the idea of an 'accident' and reclassify the investigation as a murder inquiry".
Reports in Spain indicate that Jonathan’s version of events did not align with the evidence collected at the scene.
Police have not yet issued an official statement regarding the new developments.
Investigators also took into account the testimony of Andic’s partner, professional golfer Estefania Canut, who described the father-son relationship as tense.
Following this, a judge authorized police to examine the contents of Jonathan’s mobile phone.
The Andic family released a statement following the dramatic developments, saying they "have not and will not comment on Isaac Andic’s death.
The family asks for respect for the ongoing legal process and will continue to fully cooperate with authorities.
The Andic family is confident that this process will conclude soon and that Jonathan’s innocence will be proven".
According to the investigation, father and son had been walking along a relatively easy and "safe" family trail commonly used by visitors.
On their way back, just a few meters before reaching the parking area, Jonathan claimed he heard rocks falling behind them, and when he turned around, he saw his father had fallen from an unfenced cliff.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initially, police found no evidence of foul play but later said that the combination of inconsistencies in Jonathan’s testimony and circumstantial signs justified continuing the investigation.
In parallel with the criminal probe, the division of Andic’s estate has sparked a financial dispute between his partner and his three children.
The inheritance was divided equally among the three — Jonathan, Judith, and Sarah — but his partner, who received a smaller sum, demanded additional funds, and negotiations reached a deadlock.
Jonathan, now a suspect, began his career at "Mango" in two thousand five, managed the "Mango Man" fashion line, and served as the company’s deputy chairman.
Following his father’s death, he resigned from his managerial role in June.
At the time of his death, Andic was a non-executive chairman of "Mango," regarded as the wealthiest man in Catalonia and one of Spain’s richest individuals.
His fortune was estimated at four point five billion euros.
Born in Turkey, he immigrated with his family to Spain in nineteen sixty-nine.
Andic founded the "Mango" fashion company in Barcelona in nineteen eighty-four with his brother Nahman.
The company specializes in designing, producing, and marketing clothing and fashion accessories for women, men, and children, competing with Inditex, the maker of "Zara".
Today, Mango is one of the world’s largest fashion retailers, with over two thousand six hundred stores in about one hundred fifteen countries.