Lawyers for Frits van Eerd want judges to personally inspect the famous fridge used to store cash
Lawyers for Frits van Eerd have asked an appeals court to personally inspect the workshop where the former Jumbo executive stored cash in a refrigerator. The defense argues the facility was highly secure and is seeking to overturn Van Eerd's prior conviction for money laundering and corruption by questioning the completeness of the case file.
Lawyers representing former Jumbo executive Frits van Eerd have requested that judges in his appeal trial personally inspect his workshop in Veghel. During the hearing in Zwolle, defense attorney Muriël Rosing argued that the refrigerator used to store a large amount of cash was actually a highly secure storage space, more akin to a sideboard, located within a heavily protected area housing Van Eerd's valuable car collection. The defense contends that storing money in this manner was not unusual given the circumstances. Van Eerd, who was previously sentenced to two years in prison for corruption and money laundering, is seeking to have the original verdict overturned.
In addition to the site visit, the defense team is calling for additional witnesses and criticizing the current evidence file as incomplete, claiming that thousands of documents are missing. The Public Prosecution Service strongly disagrees, maintaining that all relevant information has been disclosed. The court will decide later whether to approve the site visit or permit the questioning of further witnesses. The substantive appeal hearing is not expected to take place until next year.
Based on reporting by ad. Translated and condensed by LocalHeadlines.
