The spectacular theft of the Treasure of Villena (south-east of Spain) no longer only mobilizes investigators in search of the works: justice is now examining the conditions in which they were protected. On Tuesday, September 29, the Court of First Instance of Villena opened preliminary investigations targeting in particular the mayor Fulgencio Cerdán, the director of Muvi Laura Hernández, the deputy María Server and the head of security of the museum. The file was sent to the public prosecutor’s office, which will have to decide whether to close the case or continue the procedure.
Two days after the burglary, which occurred on the night of August 26 to 27, 2026, the Association for the Defense of the Rule of Law and the Fight Against Corruption, an organization whose judicial activity has been documented since at least 1993, filed a complaint for “prior risk-generating behavior”accusing municipal officials and the museum management of having made imprudent decisions with regard to the safety of the preserved works. The complaint relates more specifically to the modification, in 2024, of the system for protecting the city’s historical heritage which has governed the conservation of the treasure since its discovery in 1963.
For the inauguration of the new Muvi in the premises of an old factory renovated in 2024, the Treasure of Villena was integrated into the permanent exhibition itinerary. Previously, the museum exhibited copies, while the original was kept in a vault and was only presented occasionally; during the work on the new museum, it had been placed in the safe of a banking establishment.
Its transfer to the new building, authorized by the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage of the Valencian Generalitat, had entailed the renunciation of permanent human surveillance, so that there was no security guard permanently present at night. The treasure was, however, exhibited in a vault protected by specific devices, and the museum building equipped with an alarm and video surveillance system operating 24 hours a day.
Prosecutors must now determine whether the change in the rules regarding the conservation of the treasure, and in particular the absence of security agents during closing hours, actually constitute breaches of the obligation to protect heritage assets. Article 11 of the Spanish Penal Code provides for the punishment of offenses committed by omission, “where there is a specific legal or contractual obligation to act” Or “when the person who abstains has created an opportunity of risk for the legally protected property by a previous action or omission”.
Information from the Spanish daily The Debate could constitute an important piece of evidence for justice. The national police reportedly sent a report to Villena town hall on July 3, 2024, less than a month after the Muvi reopened, indicating significant security weaknesses in the new premises. Among the many recommendations listed in the report was the establishment of a “permanent surveillance service”a measure which was not followed by the municipality. These elements, according to The Debate, “demonstrate that the town hall failed in its legal obligation to transmit the police report to the regional Ministry of Culture and never requested specific funds to secure the site”.
Carried out in almost 4 minutes, the burglary of the Muvi had aroused the indignation of Villenensiens and their mayor Fulgencio Cerdán, who said he “annihilated” of the loss of the treasure, one of the most important archaeological sites from the Bronze Age in Europe. The criminals had also taken three 20th century gold crowns dedicated to the Virgin of Virtues, patron saint of Villena.
