Lafarge convicted of financing militant groups in Syria
Published by Alfie Lloyd-Perks,
Assistant Editor
World Cement,
French cement company Lafarge has been found guilty by a Paris court of paying millions in protection money to jihadist groups to keep its Syrian factory running during the country's civil war.
The court ruled that Lafarge paid around €5.59 million to armed groups between 2013 and 2014, including IS and the al-Nusra Front. Payments included funds to secure safe passage for workers and to buy materials from quarries under IS control.
Eight former employees were also convicted, including ex-CEO Bruno Lafont, who was sentenced to six years in prison. Former deputy managing director Christian Herrault received five years.
The presiding judge said the payments amounted to "a genuine commercial partnership" with IS, and that profit was the sole motivation for funding a terrorist organisation.
Lafarge, now owned by Swiss conglomerate Holcim, was fined over €1 million. Lafarge said the ruling concerned "a legacy matter" involving conduct that violated its own code of conduct.
It is the first time a company has been tried in France for financing terrorism. A separate investigation into alleged complicity in crimes against humanity remains ongoing. In 2022, Lafarge also admitted wrongdoing in a US case, paying nearly US$778 million in penalties.
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Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/asia-pacific-rim/14042026/lafarge-convicted-of-financing-militant-groups-in-syria/
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