A French court on Monday ruled that cement conglomerate Lafarge was guilty of paying the Islamic State (IS) group and other jihadists protection money to maintain its business in war-torn Syria.
The company's former CEO Bruno Lafont was sentenced to six years in prison for financing "terrorism,” which a judge ordered him to start serving immediately, while former deputy managing director Christian Herrault received a five-year sentence.
The Paris court found Lafarge—which has since been acquired by Swiss conglomerate Holcim—paid nearly €5.6 millions ($6.5 million) in 2013 and 2014, via its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), to jihadist groups and intermediaries to keep its plant operating in northern Syria.
"This method of financing terrorist organizations, and primarily IS, was essential in enabling the terrorist organization to gain control of Syria's natural resources, allowing it to finance terrorist acts within the region and those planned abroad, particularly in Europe," said the presiding judge, Isabelle Prevost-Desprez.
Read more here.
French Cement-Maker Lafarge Found Guilty of Financing Jihadists in Syria, Former CEO Jailed
04/13/2026
Image
We work side by side with victims to obtain acknowledgment and redress for massive human rights violations, hold those responsible to account, reform and build democratic institutions, and prevent the recurrence of violence or repression.