Frits van Eerd from Racing Team Nederland will be charged in September: Main allegation not substantiated, trial to start in September
Frits van Eerd, the former LMP2 driver and owner of Racing Team Nederland, will stand trial in September. The 57-year-old was arrested in September 2022 and his house was searched. Like his team, he has not appeared in motorsport since then. His social media activities have also been suspended
Van Eerd, former managing director and still co-owner of the Jumbo supermarket chain, was arrested as a suspect in a potential money laundering ring with nine suspects and interrogated for four (according to other sources, five) days.
The allegations could not be upheld. Van Eerd is now also accused of bribery (“extra-official corruption”) and forgery.
According to Dutch media reports, the investigation into van Eerd, unlike the other eight suspects, has not yet been concluded. Although an indictment for money laundering has become unlikely, it is not yet completely off the table.
Racing Team Nederland is also not currently the subject of the investigation, nor is the now ended sponsorship of Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen. The investigations are focusing on Jumbo sponsorships in motocross.
This brings us full circle to the main accused, Theo E., a 59-year-old car dealer from Assen, who was himself active in the motocross scene. Suspicions of money laundering were also dropped against him. He is now accused of the same offenses as van Eerd as well as VAT fraud in the car trade.
Van Eerd insists on innocence
Van Eerd’s lawyers respond in a statement. According to them, there was the possibility of a settlement. However, Van Eerd rejected this.
“He has not committed any crime and therefore cannot accept a settlement that creates the appearance of guilt, let alone admitting that guilt. The client has therefore decided not to accept an out-of-court settlement proposal,” the statement reads.
“The defense notes that nothing remains of the suspicion on the basis of which the client was arrested in September 2022. In the opinion of the defense, the public prosecutor’s office apparently feels compelled to bring charges now because otherwise the proceedings would have to be discontinued.”
The lawyers also criticize the fact that it took a year before it was even clear what charges were still being brought against Frits van Eerd: “After his arrest, it remained unclear to the client (and his defence) for a long time what he was actually suspected of. After the client had recovered from the arrest, he requested a new hearing from the public prosecutor’s office. “
The maximum sentence for bribery in the Netherlands is four years, and six years for forgery and tax evasion. Heavy fines can also be imposed. It is unlikely that the maximum penalties will be imposed in this case.
After a long time in historic motorsport, Van Eerd competed in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) from the 2018/19 season. Together with Giedo van der Garde and Nyck de Vries, he won the 6 Hours of Fuji in 2019. When the LMP2 trophy for Pro-Am pairings was introduced in 2021, Racing Team Nederland, managed by TDS, won the title at the first attempt.
Van Eerd then switched to the IMSA SportsCar Championship, where he contested the endurance races. The team finished second, second and third in the LMP2 class at Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen. Van Eerd was arrested before the season finale at Road Atlanta and has not been seen in motorsport since then.
