Journalism of Courage
The family of Isak Andic, the founder of the Spanish fashion brand Mango, has said it remains confident in his son’s innocence after media reports suggested he had become a potential suspect in the investigation into the businessman’s death, The Guardian reported.
Andic, 71, died last December after apparently falling about 100 metres down a ravine while hiking with his son Jonathan Andic at Montserrat, near Barcelona. His death had initially been treated by police as an accident.
However, Catalan police and judicial sources told El País and La Vanguardia that the case is now being investigated as a possible homicide, The Guardian said.
According to La Vanguardia, the judge handling the case changed Jonathan Andic’s status last month from witness to possible suspect.
Sources cited by El País said Jonathan’s account of events was “inconsistent”, and that Andic’s partner, golfer Estefanía Knuth, told investigators the relationship between father and son “was bad.”
The newspaper added that investigators had not found conclusive evidence but had “come across a series of clues which, when taken together, led them to move away from the idea of a mere accident and toward the possibility of a homicide.”
In a statement to the media, the Andic family said: “The Andic family has not and will not comment on Isak Andic’s death in all these months. However, they wish to show their respect for the ongoing investigations and will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities, as they have done so far. They are also confident that this process will be concluded as soon as possible and that Jonathan Andic’s innocence will be proved.”
A Catalan police spokesperson declined to comment, saying the case was under judicial investigation. A spokesperson for the Catalan courts service said the probe was confidential and “is not – nor has it been – directed against any specific person.”
Born in Istanbul in 1953 to a Sephardic Jewish family, Isak Andic moved to Catalonia in the late 1960s and began selling T-shirts to fellow students before expanding into wholesale and market trading. He opened the first Mango store in 1984 and later built one of Spain’s most recognised fashion brands.
Speaking to Agence France-Presse last year, Mango’s global retail director César de Vicente said: “He saw that we needed colour, style,” adding that Andic’s decision to use one brand name across all shops “made the concept much stronger.”
