It is the first of a thief to get rid of stolen material: either you sell it or you hide it, but never keep it. Four years passed and the president of the Palau de la Música, Fèlix Millet, still found numerous pieces of art at his home that he had acquired with the money he had looted from the institution. Perhaps he was not aware that the euros (or perhaps pesetas) with which he had acquired them had an illegal origin or perhaps he never imagined that he could cause problems for her.
The point is that Millet had been arrested in July 2009, but the first judge who took up the case did not see fit to search the house, so it had to be another magistrate who ordered it despite the fact that four years had already passed and that there was little hope of finding anything. Millet, from the beginning, had been a collaborator with justice. He wrote a letter in which he confessed to the embezzlement although he forgot a 2. The millions he had looted were not 3 but 23.
In July 2012, we journalists stood for many hours – twelve in total – in front of the door of Millet's house, waiting for someone to come out and tell us what was happening inside. Outside the gates there was only a police car and two very nice officers who didn't know anything.
Registration started at nine in the morning. A suffocating heat stalked l'Ametlla del Vallès, and the reporters took shelter in the shade of some trees. The house covered several hectares and we were afraid that the investigators would leave through another door. There were no toilets around and any visit to the bar, which was ten minutes away by car, jeopardized the mission of finding out what the Mossos had found at Millet's house. Hours passed and information was scarce. Around 9:00 p.m., the investigators left through the door where we were. Now yes!, we thought. His greeting was as affectionate as his words were few. He was getting dark. The compañeros from the TV connected with the newscasts informing that the registration had finished. They collected their bundles and left. Only Anna Punsí and I remain. Lagging behind and with hardly any light. The chances of finding information were fading.
Punsí, a great crime journalist, had an idea. "Why don't we call the intercom and see what happens?" We went to the phone and pressed the button next to the gate. A few seconds passed and we tried again. Punsi, who exudes passion, remained confident. I, defeated, proposed to leave. When we were about to faint, a hoarse voice answered. "Yes?". “Mr. Millet, we are journalists who have been here all day. Could you tell us how the search has gone and if anything has been taken? Millet had no qualms about telling us. He began by complaining that the Mossos had woken him up and then detailed that between 25 and 30 paintings, 4 or 5 sculptures and 43,000 euros in cash that he had in a safe had been seized.
Millet passed away on March 16 and with his death the last legal case he was facing for the disappearance of several assets that he had in his house and that were seized and could not be sold was closed: a grand piano, a century-old headboard XVIII, carved ivory tusks, a dozen animal figures, also ivory, and three stone figures with African motifs. Of the 23 million embezzled from the Palau, Millet and Montull have returned 12,892,930 euros. Still missing: 10,785,731.61.
