France: Ex-CEO of cement giant Lafarge jailed for funding Syrian jihadi groups

Former Lafarge CEO sentenced for financing Syrian terror groups to protect lucrative cement plant operations. | Contesto: cronaca

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• France: Ex-CEO of cement giant Lafarge jailed for funding Syrian jihadi groups

Contesto

A Paris court has sentenced Bruno Lafont, the former CEO of cement giant Lafarge, to three years in prison, two of them suspended, for his role in a scheme that financed jihadist groups in Syria, including the Islamic State (IS), to protect company operations. The landmark ruling, delivered on Tuesday, marks the first time a major French corporation has been convicted of complicity in crimes against humanity for financing terrorist activities. The court found that between 2011 and 2014, Lafarge's Syrian subsidiary paid nearly 13 million euros to armed factions, including IS and the al-Nusra Front, to ensure the continued operation of its Jalabiya cement plant in northern Syria. The prosecution detailed a systematic and calculated strategy, orchestrated by senior executives, to maintain a profitable foothold in a collapsing state. As Syria descended into civil war and extremist groups seized territory, Lafarge chose not to evacuate its staff and shutter the plant. Instead, it established a complex financial pipeline, routing payments through intermediaries and a local supplier to various armed groups controlling the area and its supply routes. Internal documents presented in court showed executives were fully aware that the money was going to designated terrorist organizations, with one 2013 email noting the need to "pay for the passage of our convoys to the Islamic State." The court concluded the company's primary motive was economic: to preserve a strategic asset worth hundreds of millions of euros and to maintain a position in a future post-war market. Beyond the prison sentence for Lafont, the court imposed a record corporate fine of 775,000 euros on Lafarge, which has since merged with Swiss firm Holcim. The company was also found guilty of endangering the lives of its Syrian employees, who continued to work at the plant under the control of extremist militias. The trial revealed a corporate culture that placed business continuity above all else, with managers in Paris approving budgets explicitly earmarked for "security payments" to groups they knew were committing atrocities. This case shatters the long-held corporate defense of operating in conflict...

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Categoria: cronaca