French cement giant Lafarge on trial for ‘funding terrorism’ in Syria: What to know
The French company is accused of funneling millions of dollars via its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria to jihadi groups and intermediaries to keep its cement plant operating in northern Syria.
French cement company Lafarge went on trial in Paris on Tuesday, accused of paying the Islamic State (ISIS) and other Syria-based jihadi groups an equivalent of millions of dollars of protection money to keep its business running in the war-torn country.
What happened: The French company, also known as Lafarge SA, is accused of funneling millions of dollars in 2013 and 2014 via its subsidiary, Lafarge Cement Syria, to jihadi groups and intermediaries to keep its cement plant operating in Jalabiya, in northern Syria close to the Turkish border, during the civil war. The plant is located 87 kilometers (54 miles) from the city of Raqqa, the former stronghold of ISIS.
Lafarge is headquartered in Paris, while LCS is headquartered in Damascus. LCS operated the plant between May 2010 and September 2014, according to Paris Criminal Court documents.
The case marks the first European trial arising from a wide-ranging inquiry into the company’s operations in Syria during the country’s civil war between 2011 and 2024. It comes three years after Lafarge SA had to pay a $778 million fine in a similar US case brought by the US Department of Justice, where the French company pleaded guilty to the charges.
