The last hike of Mango tycoon Isak Andic: The case that seemed closed and now shakes Spain again with the arrest of his son
The death of the fashion giant's founder had been considered an accident. Months later, the case took a turn, and Catalan police arrested the man who was with him in his final minutes.
(File) An image of the tribute to Mango founder Isak Andic.
The investigation into the death of businessman Isak Andic, founder of fashion brand Mango and one of the largest fortunes in Spain, took a turn that few anticipated. Catalan police on Tuesday arrested Jonathan Andic, the businessman's eldest son, as part of the investigating the death occurred in December 2024. The information was confirmed to the AFP agency by the Mossos d'Esquadra.
The news shook the Spanish business world and revived questions surrounding a death that had initially been treated as a mountain accident.
From a family outing to a criminal investigation
The tragedy occurred on Dec. 14, 2024, when Isak Andic, 71, was hiking in a mountainous area on the outskirts of Barcelona. According to the initial version, the businessman fell into the void during the hike.
At the time there was only one companion: Jonathan Andic.
The original investigation provisionally concluded with the hypothesis of an accident. However, as the months passed, the cause began to take a different course.
According to information published by the newspaper La Vanguardia and cited by AFP, Jonathan was transferred Tuesday to the courts in Martorell, near Barcelona, where he will testify again.
The case is under judicial secrecy, according to sources at the High Court of Justice of Catalonia quoted by local media and picked up by the agency.
The case was archived... and then reopened
One of the elements that increased public attention on the investigation was the reopening of the file.
At the beginning of 2025, the case had been provisionally archived. Some time later, the Catalan justice system decided to reopen it and expand the proceedings.
According to reports in the Spanish press, investigators analyzed Jonathan Andic's cellphone, and in recent months the judge has taken statements from members of the businessman's closest circle, including his two daughters.
So far, no details were officially released about the elements that led to the arrest or about the new lines of investigation.
Jonathan Andic repeatedly maintained his innocence.
Who was Isak Andic: The man who built an empire from the ground up
Born in 1953 in Istanbul into a Sephardic Jewish family, he emigrated to Spain as a teenager and began his business career selling shirts imported from Turkey.
In 1984 he opened the first Mango store on Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona.
What started as a small business ended up becoming one of the most important fashion groups in the world.
According to corporate figures, the company has more than 16,400 employees and nearly 2,900 points of sale distributed in more than 120 international markets. International expansion made Andic one of the richest people in Spain. Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at around $4.5 billion.
Jonathan's succession and role within Mango
Currently, Jonathan Andic holds the position of vice chairman of Mango's board of directors.
During the last decade he briefly assumed executive functions at the helm of the company, although his father later resumed operational leadership.
In recent years, the management structure began to undergo major changes. In December 2023, Isak Andic ceded for the first time an external shareholding within the company to his historical collaborator Antonio Ruiz, who today continues to lead the group's management.
In an institutional video released by the firm in 2023, Jonathan Andic stated:
"If you are clear about where you want to go and always move forward, you end up achieving your goals."
Today, this figure is back in the spotlight, but for completely different reasons.
A case that once again raises questions
The arrest of Jonathan Andic marks the most delicate twist in an investigation that seemed closed and that now once again raises questions about what happened on that December hike.
For the moment, authorities have not made public details about the new evidence or possible formal charges. With the case under secrecy, attention is now focused on the next judicial moves and on a story that went from family tragedy to one of the most shocking cases on the Spanish business scene.
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