The judicial developments in the case of the death of the founder of the multinational clothing chain, Isak Adits, are fast-paced. The competent judge of the judicial district of Martorell in Barcelona on Tuesday ordered the temporary detention of the deceased’s eldest son, Jonathan Aditz, who is considered the main suspect in his father’s murder.
The accused was eventually released after his legal team paid the set bail of one million euros via bank transfer. At the same time, with the agreement of the judge and the prosecutor’s office, three restrictive conditions were imposed on Jonathan Addic: the mandatory weekly appearance in court, the confiscation of his passport and the ban on leaving Spanish territory.
The date of the arrest and the judicial examination
The court order was issued a few hours after the surprise operation of the Catalan police (Mossos d’Esquadra) early on Tuesday morning, during which Jonathan Aditz was arrested at his residence. The arrest came shortly after the judicial investigation, which had remained under seal for months, was declassified.
The accused was brought to the courts of Martorell at 12:30 p.m. under draconian security measures, with hands tied behind the back. During the interrogation, Adić chose to answer only the questions of his lawyer, the eminent jurist Cristóbal Martell.
Following the conclusion of the deposition, a hearing followed in which prosecutor Teresa Yoldi proposed the package of preventive measures, which was accepted in its entirety by the bench. It is noted that Martorell is the seat of the judicial district that has under its jurisdiction the municipality of Colbato, at the foot of Mount Montserrat, where the fatal incident took place.
From the “mountaineering accident” to the criminal prosecution
The case concerns the death of 71-year-old billionaire Isak Adić, who died on December 14, 2024 after falling from a height of more than 100 meters while hiking on Montserrat mountain. The businessman’s only companion on the trip in question was his eldest son, Jonathan.
Although the Catalan authorities initially treated the incident as a mountaineering accident, the direction of the investigations changed radically when serious contradictions were found in the first two statements given by Jonathan Aditz as a witness. According to police sources, the accused has been in the sights of the authorities since at least last October, when he was asked to voluntarily hand over his mobile phone, which has since been thoroughly analyzed to find a possible motive. In addition, investigators found that the defendant had visited that particular spot on the mountain a few days before the incident – an action the defense attributed to “preparation for the excursion.”
Corporate conflicts and inheritance disputes
Authorities are now focusing on the history of the strained relationship between father and son, centered on Mango’s management. Isak Andic had handed over the reins of the company to his eldest son in 2014, however he was forced to actively return to leadership a year later due to the failure of the succession plan, which caused serious tremors in the relationship between them.
The situation worsened further after the death of the businessman – the richest man in Catalonia, with a fortune of 4.5 billion euros according to Forbes magazine – due to disputes over the distribution of the inheritance. The will, which was signed in July 2023, provided for an equal distribution among his three children and a bequest of 5 million euros for his partner. The latter insulted the amount as insufficient, claiming 70 million euros, with the two sides eventually reaching a preliminary settlement agreement of around 30 million euros.
The attitude of the Adits family
In an official statement, the Adits family initially emphasized that Adits’ cooperation with the authorities “was and remains absolute”, avoiding further comment due to the confidentiality of the proceedings.
Following the indictment, the family issued a new statement in which they strongly support Jonathan Adick’s innocence and ask that the presumption of his innocence be fully respected. “There is no legal evidence against him, nor is there going to be any,” said family representatives, expressing their absolute confidence that the judicial investigation will vindicate the accused.
