Cement giant Lafarge appeared in a French court on Tuesday, accused of secretly paying off jihadist groups, including the Islamic State (IS), to keep its operations running in Syria during the country’s civil war.
According to court documents, the company—now owned by Swiss-based Holcim—allegedly funneled millions of dollars between 2013 and 2014 through its Syrian subsidiary, Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), to both IS and Jabhat al-Nusra, Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate. Prosecutors say these payments allowed Lafarge to continue operating its massive $680 million cement plant in Jalabiya, northern Syria, even as violence escalated.
The accused include Lafarge itself, former CEO Bruno Lafont, several senior executives, and two Syrian intermediaries—one of whom remains at large under an international arrest warrant. The charges include “financing terrorism” and violating international sanctions, offenses that could result in fines exceeding $1.2 million if the company is found guilty.
Holcim, which merged with Lafarge in 2015, has denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the Syrian dealings.
Zoyols Blog gathered that Lafarge had completed construction of the plant in 2010, just before Syria’s war erupted. When conflict spread in 2011, most international companies quickly exited the country. Lafarge, however, withdrew only its foreign employees, leaving local staff behind until 2014 when IS forces finally seized the factory.
Between 2013 and 2014, the company allegedly paid intermediaries to secure access to raw materials and safe passage for its workers and trucks through militant-controlled zones. Investigators say these payments effectively amounted to protection money that helped fund terrorist activities.
The French probe began in 2017 following media exposés and complaints from NGOs and former Lafarge employees. It followed a separate U.S. case in which Lafarge pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to designated terrorist groups—marking the first time a corporation faced such charges—and agreed to pay a $778 million fine.
The ongoing Paris trial, expected to run until mid-December, could set a major legal precedent for corporate accountability in conflict zones. Meanwhile, another investigation continues in France over whether Lafarge’s actions could amount to complicity in crimes against humanity.
In the U.S., hundreds of Yazidi victims, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, have filed a civil lawsuit accusing the company of aiding atrocities committed by IS through its financial dealings.
Zoyols Blog will continue to monitor developments in the case as proceedings unfold.
