Son of Mango fashion chain founder arrested in Spain over father’s death | Spain

The son of Mango fashion chain founder Isak Andic has been released on €1 million (£866,000) bail after being arrested and questioned in connection with his father’s death in Catalonia nearly 18 months ago.

Andic died in December 2024 after falling 100 meters down a gorge while hiking with his son Jonathan in Montserrat, near Barcelona. His death at the age of 71 prompted politicians, journalists and the fashion world to pay tribute to him.

An initial investigation by the Catalan police Mossos d’Esquadra concluded the death was an accident, but officers and judicial sources told El País and La Vanguardia last year that the case was being treated as a possible homicide.

On Tuesday, Mossos d’Esquadra said Jonathan Andic, currently vice chairman of Mango’s board of directors, had been arrested and appeared before a judge in the Catalan city of Martorell. The 45-year-old man was later released after paying bail of 1 million euros.

The court stated that the case was “investigated as a murder charge” and ordered him to stay in Spain, surrender his passport and appear before a judge every week.

A spokesman for the family said they were confident of Jonathan Andic’s innocence and would continue to offer their “full cooperation” to investigators.

El País reported last year that police had found no direct or conclusive evidence to explain what happened in the valley, but “came across a series of clues that, when put together, led them away from the idea of ​​a mere accident and towards the possibility of murder.”

La Vanguardia reported that the judge presiding over the case changed Jonathan Andic’s official status from witness to status. possible suspect in September last year.

The family used the following statements in their statement to the press at that time: “The Andiç family has not and will not comment on the death of Isak Andic during these months. However, they want to show their respect to the ongoing investigations and will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities as they have done until today. They are also sure that this process will be concluded as soon as possible and Jonathan Andic’s innocence will be proven.”

Born in Istanbul to a Sephardic Jewish family in 1953, Isak Andiç immigrated to Catalonia with his relatives in the late 1960s and started selling T-shirts to his high school friends. He started running a wholesale business and sold clothes at street markets before opening his first Mango store in 1984.

“He saw that we needed color and style,” César de Vicente, Mango’s global retail manager, told Agence France-Presse in March last year. De Vicente said Andic soon opened dozens more stores across Europe and “realized that having the same name, the same brand in all stores would make the concept much stronger.”