<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The man suspected of killing his billionaire fashion magnate father has stepped down from the family's fast fashion giant and pledged to prove his innocence.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jonathan Andic, 45, was </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/isak-andic-death-mango-founder-jonathan-andic-son-arrested-on-suspicion-of-involvement-in-his-death/063cddab-3536-4d1d-b541-f6daccf5c44e" rel="" target="" title=""><span>arrested in Barcelona last week</span></a><span>, 17 months after his father, Mango founder Isak Andic, fell more than 100 metres to his death on a hike in mountains north of the Spanish city.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jonathan was the only witness and a Spanish court last week named him as a suspect in the 71-year-old's death.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/second-cohort-of-isis-brides-to-land-in-sydney-tomorrow/ef2e7855-ec92-493a-80d6-3e72f0568000"><strong><span>No charges after more 'ISIS brides' and kids return home</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The judge's writ said there was sufficient evidence to suggest the death may not have been accidental and that Jonathan Andic "played an active and premeditated role".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Jonathan on Tuesday insisted he was innocent, saying he now had to live with the "most serious, unjust and unfounded" allegation on top of the grief over his father's death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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," he said. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/isak-andic-death-jonathan-andic-steps-down-from-mango-protests-innocence/b3b4910c-33f2-41eb-9b33-15e3ee99101c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I know that dismantling it will require time, effort and intense dedication."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Jonathan said that meant he would be temporarily stepping away from his role as executive vice president of Mango's holding company, to which he was appointed in January 2025, about six weeks after Isak's death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mango's board of directors released a statement shortly after expressing their "full support for Jonathan" and their "full confidence that the legal proceedings will be resolved favourably and trust that this will happen as swiftly as possible".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/child-found-dead-lowood-home-ipswich-brisbane/8f64aba5-0a44-4d5a-b001-8ad3a15499db"><strong><span>Allegedly murdered girl, accused killer mum identified</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Chairman and chief executive Toni Ruiz conveyed his "utmost respect, understanding and support" to Jonathan and stressed the company was in the "strongest moment of its history". </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In a writ issued on Thursday, Judge Raquel Nieto Galvan said there was "sufficient evidence to suggest that the death of (Isak Andic) may not have been accidental, and that (Jonathan Andic) played an active and premeditated role in his father's death".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nieto Galvan said the heir to the Mango retail fortune held a financial grudge against his father and gave police and emergency services contradictory statements about the day he fell to his death as they hiked together.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The root of the bad relationship was the son's "obsession with money to the extent that he asked his father (Isak Andic) for an inheritance while he was still alive", she wrote.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-news-woman-arrested-after-cafe-worker-injured-in-alleged-assault/6beab42e-68a3-47d9-a453-d2a4ef5fd6ea" rel="" target="" title=""><strong><span>Woman charged over alleged assault that chipped waitress' tooth</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In WhatsApp messages, Jonathan expressed "feelings of hatred, resentment and thoughts of death, and blaming his father for his situation".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Jonathan pushed back on that assessment on Tuesday, saying that he had loved his father "in a very special way".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We shared many happy, cherished and loving moments together," he wrote. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judges in Spain typically investigate cases to decide whether there are sufficient grounds to go to trial. The writ is part of Nieto Galvan's pre-trial investigation and Jonathan Andic has not been charged.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>- Reported with Reuters</span></em></div></div>