Listen now to the third episode of 'The Frits van Eerd Case'

Frits van Eerd sees the criminal case he got involved in three years ago as a reset of his life, he says on the last day of the trial. No matter how the court will rule on him in August, he vows to continue as an entrepreneur.

Like Alice in Wonderland, that is how Van Eerd positions himself during the trial against him in the Groningen court. He repeatedly says that he cannot understand why he is considered a suspect, or why anyone would think that he was messing with sponsorship contracts. 'I don't need to arrange it that way, do I?'

Van Eerd now understands why suspicions have arisen against him. 'If you read the file, I understand very well that it raises questions', he tells the judge. With the knowledge he has now, the former Jumbo CEO should never have continued to associate with criminal car dealer Theo E. from Drenthe, the main suspect who is slumped in a courtroom chair a little further away. 'Because that is why I am here now. It is a hard lesson', Van Eerd tells the judges.

The FD has been following the criminal case against Van Eerd since the day he was arrested. In the podcast, FD journalists Paulien Sewuster, Bart Mos and Jan Braaksma delve deeper into the case. They attended all the court days, spoke to many insiders and were able to view parts of the criminal file. They also interviewed the lawyers involved and the case officer.

In the third episode of this season of Behind Closed Doors, the award-winning investigative podcast of the FD, we are present in the Groningen courtroom. The public prosecutors underline the guilt of the former Jumbo CEO in harsh terms, while Van Eerd and his lawyers say that things are very different. Listen to the critical interrogation of the former Jumbo CEO by the presiding judge, to the pronouncement of the sentence demanded, and to Van Eerd's last word.