France demands Lafarge be fined for allegedly financing terrorism in Syria

The French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office has requested that cement company Lafarge be fined more than one billion euros, accusing it of "financing terrorist groups in Syria during the years of conflict."

The prosecution is seeking a fine of 1 billion and 125 million euros, in addition to the confiscation of assets worth 30 million euros and the imposition of joint customs fines estimated at billions of euros. It is also requesting prison sentences of up to eight years for eight former senior executives of the company.

The prosecution accuses Lafarge of paying millions of euros, through its Syrian branch, between 2013 and 2014 to groups designated as terrorist organizations, including ISIS and al-Nusra Front, to ensure the continued operation of its plant in al-Jalabiya area south of Kobane city, despite international sanctions and the escalating war.

The prosecution asserts that the company's senior management was aware of and approved these payments, arguing that ISIS had become a business partner for Lafarge during that period.

Among the defendants, the prosecution requested a six-year prison sentence for the former CEO Bruno Lafont, along with a fine and a ten-year ban from holding management positions. While for the Syrian intermediary Firas Tlass, who was tried in absentia, the prosecution sought the harshest penalties; an eight-year prison sentence and an international arrest warrant.

The case stems from an investigation launched in 2017 following complaints filed by NGOs and former employees who accused the company of financing terrorism and endangering Syrian workers by keeping the factory operational until ISIS seized control.

The court is currently awaiting the defense's arguments before issuing its final verdict in one of the most prominent cases concerning the liability of major corporations for violations committed during armed conflicts.

J.J