The son of the billionaire founder of a fashion brand is under investigation following his father’s death, 10 months after he plunged 328 feet off a cliff, local reports suggest.
Isak Andic, the founder of fashion brand Mango, died at age 71 during a hike along a family friendly 3-mile route on December 14. He was alone with his son Jonathan Andic, 44, in the Montserrat mountains near Barcelona.
The retail mogul’s fall was initially ruled an accident, but a judge changed Jonathan’s status from witness to suspect in September, Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia reports. They cite “contradictory statements” and “grey areas.”
A possible homicide investigation was revealed on Thursday, El País reports. Investigators from the Catalan regional police, Mossos d’Esquadra, noticed inconsistencies between the accounts he provided and forensic evidence, it said.
Jonathan was the only witness and said they’d nearly returned to the car park when he heard stones slipping and looked back to see his father fall. Investigators said the route was “not especially dangerous.”
The founder of the 2,800-store empire was killed instantly.
Mossos d’Esquadra cops found no direct evidence of the son’s guilt.
The judge has sealed details of the investigation while police follow up on discrepancies and circumstantial leads.
According to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the Catalan courts service said the investigation was secret and “is not—nor has it been—directed against any specific person”.
La Vanguardia reports that the judge ordered Jonathan’s phone to be examined by police. He assumed the position of vice president of the board following his father’s death.
Isak’s partner, professional golfer Estefanía Knuth, said that relations between the two men had been fraught, The Times reports.
The Andic family said in a statement to Spanish media that it looked forward to the announcement of Jonathan’s innocence.
“The Andic family has not commented, and will not comment, on Isak Andic’s death,” it said. “It wishes to show respect for the ongoing proceedings and will continue co-operating fully with the authorities. The family is confident that this process will end soon and that Jonathan Andic’s innocence will be proven.”
According to Forbes, Isak had amassed a fortune worth approximately $4.5 billion at the time of his death.
He founded the mammoth retail chain in 1984, growing it into a 16,000-employee empire spanning 120 countries, Reuters reports.
