(MENAFN- Live Mint) Spanish police confirmed on Friday that the investigation into the sudden death of Mango clothing empire founder Isak Andic remains ongoing, following reports that his son has emerged as a suspect.

Andic, 71, died in December 2024 after falling over 100 metres while hiking with his eldest son, Jonathan, in the Montserrat mountains near Barcelona, AFP reported.

Police initially ruled the death accidental, but they are now investigating Jonathan, 44, for a possible homicide, El Pais daily reported late Thursday, citing“different sources with knowledge of the investigation”, as reported by AFP.

What did the police say?

Jonathan, who was the only person with his father at the time of the incident, has provided“inconsistent” testimony in two statements that has“fuelled suspicion”, it said.

His version of events did not align with forensic evidence collected at the site, the newspaper said.

Contacted by AFP, Catalan regional police sources confirmed that an investigation is ongoing without giving further details because the case remains under judicial secrecy.

For its part, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia said in a statement the investigation is in the hands of the police and that "procedurally, at this time" it does not target“any specific person”.

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Barcelona-based daily La Vanguardia, also citing sources with knowledge of the investigation, had said the investigating judge formally changed Jonathan's status from witness to suspect in late September and that police were combing through the contents of his mobile phone.

Spanish media said police also cited the testimony of Isak Andic's partner, professional golfer Estefania Knuth, who described strained relations between father and son.

The trail Isak Andic and his son were walking along links the Salnitre caves in Collbato with the Montserrat monastery and is popular with families on weekends.

Jonathan's professional career

Jonathan began his professional career in Mango in 2005 after studying audiovisual communication in the United States and business in Spain.

He began to manage the Mango Man line two years later and is currently the vice-chairman of Mango's board, according to the company's website.

“If you are clear about where you want to go and keep moving forward, you will end up achieving your goals,” he said in a Mango promotional video posted on YouTube two years ago.

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The Andic family said in a statement sent to Spanish media that it was "co-operating fully with the authorities" and“is confident that this process will finish as soon as possible and that Jonathan Andic's innocence will be demonstrated”.

Istanbul-born Isak Andic was one of Spain's richest people, with Forbes estimating his and his family's fortune at $4.5 billion.

In December 2023, Isak Andic took the unprecedented step of opening up Mango's ownership, selling a 5.0 percent stake to Toni Ruiz, the current chairman of the board.

Mango

Andic opened his first Mango shop on the Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona's famous shopping street, in 1984 with the help of his older brother Nahman. It was hugely successful.

(FILES) This handout image released by Mango on December 14, 2024 shows Mango fashion powerhouse non executive chairman and founder Isak Andic who died unexpectedly December 14, 2024. Spanish police are investigating the sudden death of the Mango clothing empire's founder Isak Andic as a possible homicide, with his son as the key suspect, Catalan police said. Andic, 71, who founded one of Europe's largest fashion groups with around 2,800 stores worldwide, plunged to his death while hiking in mountains outside Barcelona in December last year to widespread shock. (Photo by HANDOUT / AFP)

Spain had just emerged from a decades-long dictatorship that ended with the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975, and consumers were hungry for more modern clothes.

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His Mango brand rapidly expanded across Spain and grew into one of the world's leading fashion retailers. Known for its mix of professional and casual styles, the company now operates in over 120 markets and employs more than 16,400 people globally, according to its website.

(With inputs from AFP)

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