French anti-terrorism prosecutors sought a 1.125-million euro ($1.32 million) fine against cement giant Lafarge and prison sentences of up to eight years for eight former executives on trial for financing terrorism in Syria.
For ex-CEO Bruno Lafont, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) requested a six-year jail sentence with a deferred committal warrant, a fine of 225,000 euros and a 10-year ban on holding any commercial or industrial management position or managing a company.
The prosecution accuses the other seven, including Deputy CEO Christian Herrault and former Directors of the Syrian subsidiary Bruno Pescheux and Frederic Jolibois, of having "enabled the continuation of operations in Syria despite payments to armed groups."
They were joined by two Syrian intermediaries, Firas Tlass and Amro Taleb. The two are accused of having "acted as local intermediaries to negotiate or facilitate these payments."
In addition, two security managers, Ahmad al-Jaloudi (Jordanian) and Jacob Waerness (Norwegian), were suspected of having "taken part in operational arrangements with armed groups" to ensure site protection and the passage of convoys during the operation of the Jalabiya cement plant in Syria between 2012 and 2014.
The PNAT also sought, against four of the defendants and the company, a joint customs fine amounting to 4.57 million euros for the offense of failing to comply with international financial sanctions.
The magistrates summed it up in stark terms: Lafarge’s Syrian subsidiary, Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), behaved as "a commercial animal ... that deliberately fed the jihadist beast at the very moment when it was seeking forces to organize itself, establish dominance and carry out attacks. An economic actor that financed terrorism for more than a year and a half, guided by a strategy approved at the company’s headquarters in Paris."
On Sept. 7, 2021, Turkish media published documents, clearly showing that Lafarge had financed Daesh in Syria with the approval of the French intelligence services, a revelation that provoked widespread international outrage.
These documents showed that the company regularly informed the French intelligence services of its contacts with Daesh and that the French authorities neither issued a warning nor prevented Lafarge from financing the organization.
