A Dutch court has sentenced former Jumbo CEO Frits van Eerd to two years in prison for money laundering, bribery and forgery.
Severe punishment
The Public Prosecution Service had demanded a two-year prison sentence against van Eerd, of which eight months as a suspended sentence. However, the judge did not include a suspended part in this two-year sentence, highlighting that in the view of the court, the former Jumbo CEO had an exemplary role. Moreover, the money laundering took place in a context of serious organised crime, notably in drug trafficking. Statements about the origin of large amounts of cash are unverifiable and implausible, the judge said.
Frits van Eerd became of intrest for the PPS after a search of his home in 2022. He has always emphatically denied the allegations, but did step down as director at Jumbo. The company itself is completely separate from the investigation and lawsuit.
RetailDetail founder Jorg Snoeck has written an opinion piece especially for our paying members on the question of how Jumbo should proceed now that the company is definitively losing the man who set the lines.
