French cement company Lafarge found guilty of financing terrorism in Syria

A French court on Monday found cement giant Lafarge, its former CEO Bruno Lafont and seven other executives guilty of financing terrorism over payments made to armed groups, including the ISIS (Daesh) terror group, during the Syrian civil war.

The Paris court ruled that Lafarge paid about €5.6 million ($6.5 million) to armed groups in Syria between 2013 and 2014, in order to maintain operations at its cement plant in Jalabiya in the country’s north.

It said Lafarge paid about $972,000 directly to terrorist groups, including more than $584,000 to ISIS.

According to the judgment, the payments were made through the company’s Syrian subsidiary to secure supply routes, ensure the movement of employees and goods, and allow the plant to continue operating despite the growing presence of militant groups.

Prosecutors argued that the company made a deliberate choice to prioritize economic interests over security risks, alleging that Lafont was aware of the payments and had instructed that operations be maintained.

They had sought prison sentences of up to six years for Lafont and significant financial penalties for the company, including a €1.125 million fine and the confiscation of assets worth tens of millions of euros.

Lafont was sentenced to six years in prison, with an arrest warrant issued. The court also imposed a €225,000 fine.

Among Lafarge executives, former plant director Bruno Pescheux was sentenced to five years in prison, without security measures due to his health condition. He was also fined €225,000.

Former regional operations director Christian Herrault and Frederic Jolibois received sentences of five years with immediate imprisonment and three years, two of which were suspended, respectively. They were also fined €225,000 and €80,000, respectively.

Pescheux, Jolibois, Herrault, and Lafont were also found guilty of failing to comply with financial sanctions.

The court ordered the company and the four former executives to jointly pay a customs fine of approximately €4.5 million for violating the European Union embargo, which prohibits all financial and commercial dealings with terrorist organizations.

The court also ruled that part of the financial assets of Pescheux and Herrault be confiscated.

Syrian intermediary Firas Tlass, tried in absentia, was also sentenced to seven years in prison, fined €225,000, and banned from entering France.

Security officers Jacob Waerness and Ahmad Al Jaloudi received sentences of 18 months and two years, respectively, with arrest warrants also issued. They were also fined €20,000 each.

Additionally, the court found that Syrian defendant Amro Talep acted as an intermediary between the company and terrorist groups in the region due to his ties to such organizations and profited from this role. He was sentenced to three years in prison and fined €60,000, with an arrest warrant issued.

Waerness, Al Jaloudi, and Talep were also banned from entering French territory.

The defense, however, maintained that Lafarge operated under pressure in what it described as an “extortion economy,” arguing that payments to armed groups were unavoidable to protect employees and avoid abandoning the facility.

The court rejected that argument, pointing to internal communications and financial records indicating structured payments and arrangements with armed factions.

The Jalabiya plant was eventually evacuated in September 2014 as ISIS advanced in the region, shortly before it fell under the group’s control.