French cement company Lafarge to appeal its 'financing terrorism' conviction

French cement giant Lafarge will appeal its conviction for financing terrorist groups in Syria, following a ruling by the Paris Criminal Court earlier this month, judicial authorities said Tuesday.

According to the Paris Court of Appeal prosecutor’s office, the company and eight co-defendants, including former CEO Bruno Lafont, have filed appeals against the April 13 verdict.

The court found that Lafarge paid nearly €5.6 million ($6.5 million) to armed groups, including ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra, and Ahrar al-Sham between 2013 and 2014 to maintain operations at its cement plant in Jalabiya, northern Syria.

Describing the case as one of “exceptional gravity,” the court said the payments constituted “an unprecedented sum” in a French terrorism financing case and “enabled the financing of terrorist acts both within the region and abroad, particularly in Europe.”

Lafarge was fined €1.125 million (about $1.3 million), the maximum penalty for the charge, and was also ordered to pay a €4.57 million (about $5.3 million) customs fine jointly with four former executives for violating international sanctions.

Lafont, 69, was sentenced to six years in prison with immediate incarceration.

He was taken into custody directly from the courtroom and is currently being held at La Sante prison in Paris, where his request for release is set to be reviewed starting May 4, the French news broadcaster BFMTV reported.

Other defendants received prison sentences ranging from 18 months to seven years, including a Syrian intermediary who remains at large.

On Sept. 7, 2021, Anadolu published documents proving that the French company Lafarge had financed the terrorist organization ISIS with the knowledge of French intelligence; these documents garnered widespread attention around the world.

As part of an investigation opened against the company in June 2017, several senior executives, including Lafarge’s former Chairman of the Board Bruno Lafont, were charged with “providing financial support to terrorism.”

On Oct. 16, 2024, the three investigating judges overseeing the case ruled that the Lafarge Group and four of its former executives would stand trial on charges of financing the terrorist organization and violating the EU embargo, which prohibits any financial or commercial ties with terrorist groups, including ISIS.

The case against Lafarge as a legal entity and eight individuals, accused of “financing a terrorist organization” in connection with their activities in Syria between 2013 and 2014, was heard at the Paris Criminal Court in November–December 2025.