The news of the death of a 71-year-old man, who had fallen down a ravine in Collbató, Barcelona, took on a new dimension when the name of the victim was revealed: Isak Andic, the founder of Mango. The richest man in Catalonia died when out walking with his eldest son, Jonathan, on a Saturday morning, December 14, 2024, with no witnesses to corroborate the son’s story.
The investigation fell to a small unit of the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalonia’s regional police force) based in Martorell, the relevant judicial district. Only a small group of investigators, with occasional support from the Catalan police’s central services, know the details. The investigation has already gone on for 10 months with no clear answer to the obvious question: Did Isak Andic fall from the mountain, or was he pushed by his son? Meanwhile, concern grows within the Andic family and also the Mango group, both of which are eager to put the scandal behind them.
The preliminary report presented to the court concluded that Andic’s death had most likely been an accident. By then, the investigators had already interrogated Jonathan Andic, now being investigated for murder. The initial interrogation was carried out a few hours after Isak Andic’s death, and Jonathan, 44, was vague and inconsistent, with what he said failing to correspond to the facts. But the investigators attributed this to the emotional impact of watching his father fall to his death. They also spoke to Isak’s partner of the last six years, Estefanía Knuth, who described the morning of the founder’s death. Estefanía was the first person Jonathan called, even before the emergency services.
The investigators were familiar with the fact that father and son had had a difficult relationship. Conflict reached its peak in 2015. Isak had left several directors at the helm of the company, his son among them. He then accused Jonathan of allowing the company to lose its “essence” and “soul,” and of neglecting the relationship with customers. In the following years, Mango accrued losses in the millions and Isak had to retake control to refloat it. This account came from Estefanía, who did not, however, mention any recent problems or insinuate that Jonathan had wanted revenge.
The investigators have also learned that there is an ongoing battle between Estefanía and Isak’s three children – Jonathan, Judith, and Sarah – regarding the inheritance. In July 2023, Isak Andic drew up a will, giving his three children an equal share of his fortune with several others including Estefanía receiving a smaller share. Estefanía considered her share to be insufficient and demanded more than €70 million ($81.5 million) from the children. She considers that her relationship with the founder of Mango was equivalent to that of a common-law partnership and put the case in the hands of lawyers, who argue that, according to the law, she should receive the equivalent of a widow. The parties concerned have been wrangling over this issue alongside the criminal investigation, without reaching an agreement.
Under the eye of the investigating judge, the police have decided to continue investigating. Among other things, they have examined the victim’s phone — a Mango corporate cell phone — to reconstruct the journey that father and son made in the mountains and determine, through WhatsApp chats, the state of their relationship.
Investigators have inspected the dirt and gravel road that leads to Montserrat on several occasions. It is a well-trodden route, where crossing paths with others is all but inevitable. Mountain units also went to the area and had the fall site checked out using ropes over almost 100 meters of rock.
Without direct evidence, the investigators have relied on small clues that have cast suspicion on the son. One of these has to do with Jonathan’s second statement. Once again, there were inaccuracies, such as mistaking the parking lot where he had left the car. Nothing definitive, no blatant lie, no sign that he was trying to cover up a murder. And yet, his second interview did nothing to dispel doubts.
As the efforts of the investigators have intensified, Jonathan is no longer considered a witness to an accident but a murder suspect. About a month ago, investigators approached him in the street and asked for his cell phone. Jonathan agreed. A few days later, he was told that he was being investigated for murder, according to sources close to the defense.
Procedures may still take a few weeks, according to sources. So far, investigators have found no direct evidence to indicate that Jonathan was able to push his father off the path. Once the proceedings are over, a decision will have to be reached by both the judge and the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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