Son suspected in Mango founder’s death

Spanish police are investigating the sudden death of the Mango clothing empire’s founder Isak Andic as a possible homicide, with his son as the key suspect, Agence France-Presse writes.

Andic, 71, who founded one of Europe’s largest fashion groups with around 2,800 stores worldwide, plunged to his death while hiking in mountains outside Barcelona in December last year to widespread shock.

Police in the northeastern region of Catalonia have now shifted their probe from an accident to a possible homicide centring on his son Jonathan Andic, El Pais daily said, citing “different sources with knowledge of the investigation”.

Jonathan, who was the only person with his father at the time of the incident, has provided “inconsistent” testimony in two declarations that has “fuelled suspicion”, El Pais said.

“The witness contradicted himself, left grey areas and described events that did not match up” with the Catalan police’s inspection of the scene in the Montserrat mountains, the newspaper added.

Catalan police were unavailable for comment.

Istanbul-born Isak Andic was one of Spain’s richest people, with Forbes estimating his and his family’s fortune at $4.5 billion.

Andic opened his first shop in Barcelona in 1984. His Mango brand quickly mushroomed across Spain and became one of the world’s leading fashion groups.