Jonathan Andic. (Photo: Lluis GENE / AFP)
Jonathan Andic, the eldest son of the founder of the Spanish fashion group Mango, was released on bail of €1 million (about R20 million) on Tuesday, after he was arrested in connection with the death of his father, Isak Andic, the billionaire and well-known Mango founder.
After Jonathan’s (45) arrest earlier on Tuesday morning, he was taken to court for questioning. He later left the court in Martorell, in northeastern Spain, with his legal representatives.
He did not answer journalists’ questions.
The court ruled that Jonathan must surrender his passport, report to the court weekly and must not leave Spain.
According to a statement from the court, the case is now “being investigated as a charge of manslaughter”.
A judge’s order, seen by AFP on Tuesday, states that there is “sufficient evidence” to suspect that Jonathan killed his father with premeditation.
The document apparently refers to his alleged “obsession with money”, a strained relationship between father and son, as well as contradictions in his account of the events.
Jonathan was alone with his 71-year-old father when Isak Andic fell to his death in the Montserrat mountains near Barcelona on 14 December 2024.
According to the forensic report, as cited in the court order, the fall occurred “as if he were sliding feet first down a slide”.
Authorities initially said Isak fell from a height near the Salnitre caves in Collbato – an area known for steep cliffs and precipices.
The investigation was initially treated as an accident due to early findings which indicated that Isak may have slipped.
A judge already closed the case in January last year, after no evidence of criminal conduct was found.
(Photo: Michael Nguyen/NurPhoto)
However, the investigation was resumed in October, after investigators from Catalonia’s regional police and prosecutors pointed to alleged inconsistencies in Jonathan’s testimony.
A Spanish newspaper reported at the time that authorities took Jonathan’s cell phone shortly after his father’s death.
The newspaper also quoted testimony from Isak’s partner, the professional golfer Estefania Knuth, in which she referred to the sometimes strained relationship between the father and son.
The higher court of Catalonia said on Tuesday that few details about the investigation had been made public, because the case was still confidential.
Jonathan denies any involvement in his father’s death and maintains that the fall was an accident.
The family said in a statement that they have “complete” confidence in Jonathan’s innocence and that “there is no legal evidence against him or there will be”.
Cristobal Martell, the family’s lawyer, described the murder theory as “incoherent” and said it “brandishes an innocent man”.
Jonathan started working at Mango in 2005, after studying audiovisual communication in the US and business management in Spain.
He took over control of Mango Man two years later and was the vice-chairman of Mango’s board at the time of his father’s death.
Isak was born in Istanbul and moved to Barcelona with his family from Turkey in the late 1960s.
He opened his first Mango store in Barcelona in 1984 with his older brother, Nahman.
The brand expanded rapidly and has since become one of the world’s largest fashion groups, with around 2,850 stores worldwide and presence in more than 120 markets.
According to Forbes, Isak’s fortune at the time of his death was estimated at around $4.5 billion.