Jonathan Andic has temporarily stepped down as vice‑chair of Mango after a Spanish court named him a suspect in the investigation into his father’s death, and he published an open letter on Tuesday saying the accusation "bears no relation to reality."
The move follows a writ from a judge in Martorell near Barcelona last week that said there was evidence suggesting the death may not have been accidental and that Jonathan Andic played an active and premeditated role. The founder, Isak Andic, died on 14 December 2024 after falling around 500ft from a cliff in Montserrat natural park north of Barcelona. This week Jonathan Andic was arrested in connection with the death and he posted €1m in bail shortly after his arrest.
Mango’s board said on Tuesday it had "full confidence that the legal proceedings will be resolved favourably and trust that this will happen as swiftly as possible." Jonathan Andic, who was named executive vice‑president of Mango’s holding company in January 2025 about six weeks after his father’s death, wrote that "A public narrative has been constructed that is one-sided, taken out of context and distorted, and which has created a perception of guilt that bears no relation to reality."
The wider context is that Mango is one of Europe's biggest clothing empires and the investigation concerns the death of its founder while hiking with his son. Police initially treated the incident as a tragic accident, but the case was reopened, investigators examined testimony and forensic findings, and the judge concluded there was enough to consider a non‑accidental death. The developments have landed hard on Mango and on the mango clothing sector across Europe.
Tension in the case rests on forensic and testimonial contradictions. The forensic report found Isak Andic’s injuries and the state of his body were inconsistent with an accidental fall and said it appeared "as if he had launched himself down a slide, feet first." Investigators say they found contradictions in Jonathan Andic’s testimony — including an early account that his father had been taking photos moments before the fall while the phone was later recovered in the elder Andic’s pocket — and noted that Jonathan visited the site on 7, 8 and 10 December, which the investigating judge said signalled a planning and study of the site. Police questioned Jonathan a second time for three hours within weeks of the death, later questioned his two sisters and uncle, and in October 2025 he was formally put under investigation after the case was reopened.
Jonathan returned to the family record of happier times in his letter, saying "We shared many happy, cherished and loving moments together. As is the case in so many families, we have also faced difficult and challenging times, which we have overcome through great effort, generosity and support." For now, he has stepped aside from his Mango post while the criminal proceedings run their course; the company’s public backing and his posting of €1m bail make clear the immediate outcome that matters to Mango shareholders and customers — his return to the role will depend directly on how the courts resolve the allegations.
