A major disagreement about a paid-for classic Mercedes today caused former Jumbo CEO Frits van Eerd (57) to appear in public again. He reported to the court in Den Bosch this morning for a dispute with Theo E. of Noord Auto from Assen. And that is also the main suspect in the major money laundering case, which will be heard in the court in Assen in two weeks.
In that case, Van Eerd and E. from Gasteren are both suspects. E. must appear in court for directing tax fraud, bribery, corruption and forgery.
Van Eerd has not shown up anywhere for two years, since the raid on his home in Heeswijk-Dinther. In two weeks he will have to explain what his role has been in a world of sponsorship contracts, cash payments, reciprocal services and 450,000 euros in cash.
Van Eerd hasn’t changed a bit in the past two years. Tanned, self-assured and sharp as ever, he sat in court. The case was short-lived and only concerned the purchase of a car. E. tipped him off in 2018 about a beautiful classic Mercedes from 1957 and Van Eerd was interested.
After that, the memories diverged greatly. On the one hand, E. had all the facts at hand: contact about the car on 6 July 2018, Van Eerd came to view it on 19 September and delivered it to the Jumbo premises on 20 September, where Frits van Eerd has his trading company and his car collection is located.
Van Eerd didn’t remember it all exactly. “It was a long time ago,” he told the judge. But he did know one thing: “I never agreed on 155,000 euros for that car, because it wasn’t worth that. I paid about 50 to 60,000 euros in cash upon delivery.”
E. explained that they had agreed on such a high amount because they had agreed on a payment term of two years. A kind of surcharge, because he had to wait longer for his money. “In 2014, I was the main suspect in a money laundering investigation and Frits was a witness,” he told the judge. “Jumbo no longer wanted to do business with me, so I could not send an invoice.” According to E., nothing was ever paid in the end.
Van Eerd was surprised by a payment term of two years. “I have done a lot of business in my life, but I can’t remember ever agreeing to a payment term of two years. Nobody has to wait that long for their money. I pay immediately.”
As is customary in such a civil case, the judge sent both parties into the hallway to try to work it out together once more. Van Eerd and E. immediately started talking in the hallway, but a solution was not found and so the judge must make a ruling. This will be known by 16 October at the latest.
It is unclear what this small case says about the big case in two weeks, in which both E. and Van Eerd are suspects. It is clear that Van Eerd, according to himself, paid for the classic Mercedes in cash. And that will also be the common thread in the big money laundering case.
Van Eerd remembered little of the agreements and that was perhaps remarkable for such a sharp, successful businessman. Van Eerd indicated that he had bought cars from E. more often, even after the purchase of the Mercedes, and that invoices were indeed sent to Jumbo. Sometimes such a purchase was private and other times business, he explained. Some of those deals will also be dealt with in the major money laundering case in two weeks.
Afterwards, Frits van Eerd, together with his wife and son, quickly left the room. In the hallway, he said that he did not want to say anything about this case and the big trial that is coming. He did say that he was happy that this big case was finally coming before the judge. He is tired of waiting, two years after the raid.