Frits van Eerd has decided to step down temporarily as CEO of Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo. The board of directors will step in to safeguard the company’s daily management.
VAT fraud
Van Eerd was arrested last week in a VAT fraud case, but was subsequently released after a few days. Nevertheless, he is still a suspect, and the temporary withdrawal as CEO should give him the chance to “fully focus on his personal situation”, Jumbo’s management and the Van Eerd family say in a press release.
It is not yet know what concrete changes this will bring to the Dutch company’s chain of command, but “we expect to be able to give an update in the short term. Until then, the daily management is guaranteed by the board of directors”, the press statement reassures.
Van Eerd is one of nine suspects in an investigation that looks into Theo E., a former motocross pilot who the Dutch justice department suspects to have used “transactions in real estate, car sales, inexplicable cash deposits and motorcycle racing sponsor contracts” to use for his fraudulent business. To be precise: as far as we know, Van Eerd is only involved in the investigation in a personal capacity, and the Jumbo chain has nothing to do with it.
