A French court has sentenced former Lafarge executives to prison and fined the company $1.3 million for providing millions in funding to terrorist groups to keep a Syrian cement plant operational.
A French court has found cement giant Lafarge guilty of financing terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front, through payments totaling $6.5 million intended to keep its Syrian plant operational during the country’s civil war. Presiding judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez sentenced former CEO Bruno Lafont to six years in prison, while former deputy managing director Christian Herrault received five years and middleman Firas Tlass was sentenced to seven years in absentia. The court also imposed a $1.3 million fine on the company, the maximum penalty sought by prosecutors, concluding that the payments constituted “a genuine commercial partnership with IS.”
During the proceedings, Lafarge defended its actions by claiming the funds were necessary to ensure the safety of local staff and maintain economic stability amid the insurgency. Christian Herrault defended the decision to remain in the region, stating, “We could have washed our hands of it and walked away, but what would have happened to the factory’s employees?” However, the court rejected the notion of humanitarian intent, with Judge Prevost-Desprez ruling that “it is clear to the court that the sole purpose of the funding of a terrorist organisation was to keep the Syrian plant running for economic reasons. Payments to terrorist entities enabled Lafarge to continue its operations.”
Following the verdict, the company characterized the events as a “legacy matter” that occurred over a decade ago. In a statement cited by Reuters, the firm noted: “Lafarge SA acknowledges the court’s finding, which concerns a legacy matter involving conduct that occurred more than a decade ago and was in flagrant violation of Lafarge’s Code of Conduct.” This French ruling follows a massive 2022 legal settlement in the United States, where Lafarge paid $777 million in a plea agreement regarding similar illegal payments to Syrian insurgent groups.