Mango founder’s son arrested in connection to father’s plunging death

London (CNN) — Jonathan Andic, the son of the late founder of Spanish fashion giant Mango, was arrested Tuesday in connection with his father’s death in 2024.

Isak Andic, who founded Mango in the mid-1980s, died at age 71 after plunging down a 320-foot ravine in December 2024 while hiking with his son near Barcelona.

Jonathan Andic’s detention was confirmed to CNN by the Mossos d’Esquadra, the police force of Spain’s Catalonia region. Andic currently serves as the vice chairman of Mango’s board.

A spokesperson for the High Court of Justice of Barcelona said in a statement Tuesday that the case is being investigated as a homicide.

Police initially treated Andic’s death as an accident and briefly closed the case in early 2025 before reopening it in March that year. Jonathan Andic was the only witness to the incident, Associated Press reported.

A spokesperson for the Andic family told Reuters that the family is confident of Jonathan Andic’s innocence and that he is cooperating fully with authorities. CNN has not confirmed the family’s statement but has reached out to Mango for comment.

Andic appeared in a court in Martorell, outside Barcelona, on Tuesday, where a judge set a bail of €1 million ($1.16 million), which “has already been paid,” according to the High Court spokesperson.

The judge also ordered Andic to surrender his passport and has mandated weekly appearances in court, the spokesperson said.

Born in Turkey, Isak Andic founded Mango in 1984 and turned it into a global behemoth and a leader in the Spanish fashion industry, alongside Inditex-owned Zara. The company posted double-digit growth last year to generate sales of €3.8 billion ($4.4 billion).

According to Forbes, Isak Andic had a net worth of $4.5 billion at the time of his death.

The Andic family controls the majority of Mango’s ownership, with Jonathan Andic and his two sisters holding 95% of the company, according to Reuters. CEO Toni Ruiz, who became chairman in 2025 following Isak Andic’s death, owns the remaining 5%.

This story has been updated with additional details.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Magdalena Vitores Moreno and John Liu contributed reporting.