Mango Heir Arrested as Father’s Cliff Death Ruled Non-Accidental

Jonathan Andic, son of the late founder of one of Europe’s largest clothing empires, posted €1m (£865,000) in bail shortly after being arrested in connection with his father’s death, marking the latest twist in a saga that has captivated and mystified Spain.

Isak Andic, who created the Mango clothing brand, died at age 71 on Dec. 14, 2024, after falling about 500 feet (150 meters) from a cliff in the mountainous Montserrat natural park north of Barcelona. The two men were hiking there together.

Police initially treated the death as a tragic accident that had befallen one of Spain’s wealthiest individuals.

But this week a judge in Martorell near Barcelona arrested his son, ruling there was “enough evidence to consider the death of [Isak Andic] non-accidental, with the active and premeditated participation of [Jonathan Andic] in the death of his father.”

The 45-year-old maintains his innocence.

Jonathan Andic, the Mango founder’s eldest child, had called emergency services, which recovered the body. He told police he was walking ahead of his father when he heard rocks sliding and turned to see Isak Andic fall.

Within weeks investigators questioned him a second time, for three hours. Several months later, in October 2025, he was formally placed under investigation after the case was reopened.

Soon after, the executors of Isak Andic’s will issued a statement insisting on Jonathan’s innocence, saying “we have been witnesses of how the pain of private grief has been aggravated by a public debate that causes greater suffering.”

As the investigation continued, police questioned his two sisters and uncle.

Jonathan Andic’s arrest this week appeared based on several allegations about the circumstances of his father’s death and the fateful hike.

Investigators believe the kind of slip Jonathan describes his father suffering would have been unlikely at the spot where the fall happened. The two men were near caves in the Collbató area, following a picturesque, relatively undemanding route common for families and schoolchildren.

They suspect a footmark where Jonathan said his father fell did not match with someone slipping and falling.

Also, they believe the position of the Mango founder’s body and the injuries he sustained were inconsistent with an accidental fall. The forensic report found it appeared “as if he had launched himself down a slide, feet first.”

Investigators have detected what they consider contradictions in Jonathan’s testimonies about his own position when his father fell.

In one account he said he was ahead of his father, but in another they were closer together. He initially told police his father had been taking photos with his phone moments before the fall, yet the phone was found in Isak Andic’s pocket when his body was recovered.

Separately, three visits by Jonathan to the fall site on Dec. 7, 8 and 10 also raised suspicions, and the investigating judge said they signaled “a planning and study of the site.”

In addition, Jonathan’s phone disappeared around the same time media reported the reopening of the investigation. He told police the device was stolen during a brief trip to Ecuador.

Investigators have also examined broader circumstances surrounding Andic’s death, identifying a possible motive in the nature of his relationship with Jonathan, particularly in the context of the Mango business.

Isak Andic, of Jewish heritage, was born in Istanbul and moved to Catalonia as a teenager before co-founding Mango in the mid-1980s. He became Catalonia’s richest person, and Mango has grown to employ more than 16,000 people, generating €3.3 billion in turnover in 2024.

Jonathan Andic has been closely involved in Mango’s development over the last two decades, especially its men’s clothing line, though he stepped back from that role after his father’s death. He and his two younger sisters now share control of a holding company with a 95% stake in Mango.

Jonathan Andic is married to influencer Paula Nata. Their first child was born in September.

Investigators believe Isak Andic’s plans to create a charitable foundation created tensions with Jonathan and that text messages exchanged between them highlighted these difficulties.

According to the investigating magistrate, Jonathan exercised “emotional manipulation over his father in order to achieve his economic objectives” and had “verbalised feelings of hatred, resentment, ideas related to death and blame” aimed at Isak.

Jonathan, however, has told investigators that his relationship with his father was good.

Soon after his arrest, the Andic family issued a statement supporting Jonathan, saying “there does not exist, nor will there exist, legitimate evidence against him.”

“The homicide theory does not hold up,” said his lawyer, Cristóbal Martell. “But, above all, it is painful. It stigmatises an innocent man.”