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Frits van Eerd, former CEO of the Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo, has filed an appeal against his two-year prison sentence on charges including money laundering and accepting bribes, according to his lawyer.
The Northern Netherlands District Court in the city of Groningen sentenced van Eerd on August 7, noting that authorities had found 427,607 euros ($498,004) of “criminal money” in his home. Van Eerd also took bribes from a co-defendant in the case, the court ruled.
“Look, he has always said, ‘I didn’t do this, I wasn’t bribed.’ And, by the way, the co-defendant says he didn’t bribe anyone. So this verdict is completely unacceptable,” his lawyer, Robbert Jonk, told OCCRP.
In a statement posted to the website of his firm, Cleerdin & Hamer, Jonk said he filed an appeal on August 20, adding that his “client does not agree with the judgment in any way and believes that the court's ruling completely disregards the facts.”
The charges prompted van Eerd to resign in March 2023 from his role as CEO of Jumbo, which he owns along with two family members.
“The verdict presents a significant and impactful moment for Frits van Eerd and his family, and by extension, for Jumbo as a family business,” said Lydia van der Meer, a spokesperson for the company. “Our thoughts are with Frits and his loved ones.”
She added that the company is not a party to the case and that the verdict does not affect the daily operations of Jumbo, which is the second-largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands.
The court concluded van Eerd had accepted bribes — cash and gifts — from a car dealer who police suspect is a “major player and financier in the cocaine trade.” Gifts included two motorcycles, as well as the use of a red 1957 Mercedes Benz SL.
In return, van Eerd forged sponsorship agreements in Jumbo’s name for the car dealer’s motocross team, the court found.
The verdict against van Eerd was significant, because most corporate cases are settled behind closed doors with the Public Prosecutor’s Service, according to Lotte Rooijendijk of the advocacy group Transparency International Netherlands.
“It is a milestone that an actual prison sentence has been imposed in this case,” Rooijendijk said. “It appears the prosecutor leveraged van Eerd’s case to send a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated.”
