As the death of Isaac Andic, founder and chairman of Spanish fashion brand Mango, in a mountain fall has expanded into a homicide investigation, his son, Vice Chairman Jonathan Andic, was arrested. The case, thought to be a simple accident late last year, entered a new phase four months later.

According to Reuters and Agence France-Presse, Vice Chairman Jonathan Andic, 45, was arrested by Catalan police in Spain on the morning of the 19th (local time), questioned, and then brought to court in handcuffs.

The court ordered Jonathan detained, set bail at 1 million euros (about 1.75 billion won), and ordered the surrender of his passport and a travel ban. Jonathan later posted bail and left the court.

The court said the case is being investigated with the possibility of homicide in mind.

The Andic family said in a statement that "there is no legitimate evidence against him, and none will be found," denying the allegations.

Andic Jonathan, vice chairman of Mango, appears at the Martorell court in Spain on the 19th (local time). He is arrested by police for questioning in the investigation into the death of his father, Mango founder Isak Andic, then pays bail. /Courtesy of Reuters Yonhap

On Dec. 14 last year, Chairman Isaac Andic fell about 150 meters into a ravine and died while hiking with his son Jonathan in Montserrat, near Barcelona. It initially appeared to be an accidental death, but the tone shifted after police reopened the investigation.

Mango is an unlisted fashion company headquartered in Barcelona, with revenue of 3.8 billion euros (about 6.6 trillion won) last year. Currently, 95% of the company's equity is jointly held by Jonathan and his two sisters, the three children of Chairman Andic, and the remaining 5% is owned by Toni Ruiz, who has served as chief executive officer (CEO) since 2020.

Born in Istanbul, Türkiye, Isaac Andic moved to Catalonia in the 1960s and founded Mango in 1984, building it into a global fashion brand. Mango now operates about 3,000 stores in 120 countries.

At the time of his death, Isaac Andic was serving as Mango's nonexecutive chairman, and his net worth, as estimated by Forbes, was $4.5 billion (about 6.8 trillion won).

In January this year, CEO Toni Ruiz was appointed chairman of the board, succeeding Isaac Andic, and Jonathan, who joined Mango in 2005 and has worked in the retail institutional sector, became vice chairman.

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