Barcelona - The head of a prestigious Spanish concert hall and a colleague have confessed to a multi-million dollar fraud, local press reported Sunday, sending shockwaves through the Barcelona cultural community. Felix Millet, veteran president of the Palace of Catalan Music, and Executive Director Jordi Montull admitted embezzling around 3.3 million euros (4.9 million dollars) over several years.
Investigators told the Spanish press that the final amount could reach more than 10 million euros.
Millet and Montull have both resigned from the posts.
The scandal has proved a major shock in Catalonia, the wealthiest region of Spain. The concert hall is a flagship of Catalan culture, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, founded in the early 20th century by Catalan industrialists and wealthy music lovers.
It has around 400 commercial sponsors and is led by a consortium that includes the regional government, the City of Barcelona and the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
Millet is believed to have used the money to buy villas and expensive holidays for his family.
