France: Ex-Lafarge CEO Jailed for Funding Syrian Jihadists

French courts have convicted the former head of Lafarge, Bruno Lafont, and eight other ex-employees for supporting jihadist groups in Syria. The decision came after a Paris tribunal on Monday determined that the individual and the company had financed terrorism. Lafont received a six-year prison sentence, while Lafarge was mandated to pay a €1.125 million fine. Seven additional employees faced similar charges.

The ruling highlighted that Lafarge, the world’s biggest cement producer, had transferred €5.6 million to entities like the Islamic State (IS) and the Nusra Front to sustain its operations in Syria. “These payments constituted a real commercial agreement with the Islamic State,” stated Judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez. The company, a subsidiary of the Swiss Holcim conglomerate, had previously operated in the global construction sector.

Investment and Operational Decisions

Lafarge’s Syrian operations began with a €680 million investment in 2010, a year prior to the country’s prolonged Civil War. While most multinational firms exited Syria by 2012, Lafarge chose to retain its local staff and withdraw only foreign workers. The court found that the company maintained its production despite awareness of the militants’ atrocities, including torture and mass executions.

Before the Paris trial, Lafarge had already admitted guilt in a U.S. legal proceeding for funding IS and Nusra Front between 2013 and 2015. This allowed the Jalabiya plant to continue functioning. The French case marked a historic milestone, as it was the first time a corporation faced trial for financing terrorism in the nation’s judicial history.