Former Jumbo CEO Frits van Eerd (58) has been convicted of bribery, money laundering and forgery. The court in Groningen put him in prison for two years on Thursday afternoon. The entire indictment of his address has been proven and according to the judges there is no reason for a partly conditional punishment, as the Public Prosecution Service (OM) had asked. Due to his exemplary function as a former supermarket boss, the judges decided to impose a heavier punishment.
The court participated in the proof that the OM had presented with regard to all three crimes that Frits van Eerd was accused of. “It continues to guess what his motive has been,” said the court chairman. He has abused his position as the boss of Jumbo. He has also violated his own Jumbo behavior rules and that is ‘extraordinary bad’, the court said.
Frits van Eerd was the only suspect who came to listen to the statement. He left up and without saying the room, together with his family.
Co -suspect Theo E. from Drenthe received 42 months before his role in the case. The car dealer is currently a prison sentence for money laundering. He may also not have a company for nine years.
Bribery
Theo E. (61) gave gifts Van Eerd, free or below market value, the judges find proven. “There is therefore bribery,” the court said. There is a concrete connection with a number of gifts. Cleaning agent, a low -loader and 25,000 euros went to Van Eerd in exchange for a sponsorship contract.
For example, with the low -loader who went from Drenthe to Veghel, the judges saw a ‘very clear connection’. It was intended to favor Van Eerd. E. has also earned a lot from that. Van Eerd acted in violation of his duty as CEO of Jumbo by keeping in touch with him. That was not only private, according to the court. In short: the bribery has been proven. E. bought Van Eerd.
Forgery, that indictment has also been proven according to the court. Van Eerd has been tampered with by invoices. This crime is also proven.
Moneytak
Unusual banknotes were at unusual places at Van Eerd at work in Veghel and at home, they were not given to the tax authorities and Van Eerd had contact with criminals, because Theo E. was convicted.
The laundering of money was also found after the statements of witnesses who explained all that money. A part is laundered: 427,000 euros. Van Eerd knew that, according to the court.
Back in time
Car dealer Theo E. from Drenthe and Frits van Eerd were suspects in this case. They have known each other from motorsport for a quarter of a century. Jumbo sponsored Theo, but when it turned out in 2014 that he passed money to the underworld, the contacts were broken. Frits van Eerd was even briefly a suspect in a money laundering shop in which E. was convicted.
Years later, the two got contact again, again about sponsorship. Money and things went back and forth. Police and justice suspected bribery.
Picked up
Van Eerd was arrested in September 2022. He was stuck for interrogation at a police station in Assen for five days. Jumbo’s CEO soon took a step back to be able to focus entirely on his lawsuit. He was sued for three crimes. He would have been bribed by the Drenthe car dealer Theo e.: Jumbo sponsored Raceteams and E. mediated and received paid without the company knowing it.
The indictment also stood tampering with sponsor invoices, including the forging of the administration. And money laundering because more than four tons were found in all kinds of places at Frits van Eerd, at work and at home.
Almost three years later a lawsuit followed, in June this year. The Public Prosecution Service demanded two years in prison, of which eight months are conditionally against Van Eerd. This for bribery, money laundering and forgery. Against fellow suspect Theo E., the OM demanded four years in prison. “They have been guilty of financially undermining crime on a large scale,” said the public prosecutor.