Published on 13 April 2026
A French court has found cement group Lafarge guilty of financing “terrorism” through its Syrian subsidiary, fining the company and jailing its former CEO.
A Paris court ruled on Monday that Lafarge had paid protection money directly to ISIL (ISIS) and other armed groups and violated European sanctions for work in northern Syria during the country’s civil war in 2013-2014. The case is the latest of several related to the company’s conduct during the conflict.
The court ordered Lafarge to pay a fine of 1.12 million euros ($1.32 million) and freeze its assets worth 30 million euros ($35.1 million). Additional fines were imposed for flouting international sanctions. The decision can be appealed.
Eight former Lafarge employees were found guilty of funding “terrorist” organizations, including former CEO Bruno Laffont, who was sentenced to six years in prison. His lawyer has said he plans to appeal.
Former deputy managing director Christian Hérault was sentenced to five years in prison. Other former employees were given fines and sentences ranging from one to seven years.
Presiding judge Isabelle Prevost-Després said the payments made by Lafarge helped strengthen groups carrying out deadly attacks in Syria and beyond.
Prévost-Després said, “It is clear to the Court that the sole purpose of funding the terrorist organization was to keep the Syrian plant operating for economic reasons. Payments to terrorist entities enabled Lafarge to continue its operations.”
“These payments took the form of a de facto business partnership with the Islamic State,” he said.
Judges found that Lafarge paid a total of 5.59 million euros ($6.54 million) to armed groups in Syria during the war, including ISIL and the Nusra Front, formerly led by current Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Both organizations were designated terrorist groups by the European Union between 2013 and September 2014.
The Jalabiya plant, which is located in northern Syria and was purchased by Lafarge in 2008 for $680 million, began operating in 2010, a few months before the start of the Syrian uprising in early 2011.
The workers were housed in the nearby city of Manbij and needed to cross the Euphrates River to reach the plant. Among the payments, the court found that more than 800,000 euros were paid to secure safe passage.
The court said that another 1.6 million euros was used to purchase source materials from mines that were under ISIL control.
crimes against humanity
The case marked the first time a company has been prosecuted in France for terrorism financing, but the investigation against Lafarge has been ongoing since 2017.
In 2022, the company was indicted on charges of crimes against humanity over alleged payments to ISIL (ISIS) and other armed groups, which was confirmed by a French court.
At the time, Lafarge, now part of Swiss construction materials group Holcim, admitted it had paid middlemen about 13 million euros ($13.6 million) to keep its Syrian cement factory running during the war, when other French companies pulled out of the country.
The company claimed it had no responsibility for money falling into the hands of armed groups, and in 2019 received a court ruling that rejected accusations of involvement in crimes against humanity. However, an appeals court affirmed the original decision.
A second case against the cement company related to allegations of involvement in crimes against humanity is still ongoing in France.
In a separate case in the United States, Lafarge admitted in 2022 that its Syrian subsidiary had paid $6 million to ISIL and the Nusra Front to allow employees, customers and suppliers to pass through checkpoints. The company paid $778 million in forfeiture and fines as part of a plea agreement.
According to the closing arguments of the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT), in the case heard on Monday, Lafarge was found guilty of funding “terrorist” organizations with a “single objective: profit”.
In response, the cement group said in a statement that it “accepts the court’s decision, which relates to a legacy case involving conduct that occurred more than a decade ago and was a gross violation of Lafarge’s code of conduct.”
“This decision is an important milestone in Lafarge SA’s work to responsibly address this heritage matter and the company is reviewing the court’s reasoning.”
