France to try Lafarge over charges of funding terrorism in Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Paris judge issued on Wednesday the order to try Lafarge, a subsidiary of the cement giant Holcim Ltd., in France over allegations of financing terrorism to maintain operations at a facility in Syria.
Sherpa, an anti-corruption organization that is one of the plaintiffs in the case, stated that the allegations of sanctions violations involve a European prohibition against any financial or business connections with groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Nusra Front (currently known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, HTS).
In 2022, Lafarge pleaded guilty to related accusations in the U.S. and agreed to pay $777.8 million. Their internal investigation revealed that Lafarge had paid armed groups in Syria to protect its factory, which was eventually taken over by ISIS militants in September 2014.
Lafarge is being investigated for potentially aiding crimes against humanity in Syria, but no trial decision has been made yet.
This investigation began shortly after Lafarge merged with Holcim, which has caused ongoing problems for the merged company.