French cement maker Lafarge found guilty of financing jihadists in Syria

April 13, 2026 - 17:07

A Paris court has delivered a landmark ruling, finding the Lafarge cement company guilty of financing terrorism in Syria. The subsidiary of Swiss giant Holcim was convicted of making payments exceeding $6.5 million to the Islamic State and the al-Nusra Front between 2013 and 2014 to keep its Jalabiya plant operational.

The court imposed the maximum fine of $1.32 million, marking the first time a French corporation has been tried and convicted on terrorism financing charges. Presiding judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez stated the payments constituted a "genuine commercial partnership" with the jihadist groups, strengthening their capacity to carry out deadly attacks both in Syria and internationally.

According to the judgment, the funds were used to secure safe passage for employees and to purchase raw materials from quarries under Islamic State control, in clear breach of European Union sanctions. Eight former Lafarge executives were also found guilty, with ex-CEO Bruno Lafont receiving a six-year prison sentence. His lawyer has announced an appeal.

Legal observers hailed the verdict as a monumental warning to multinational corporations operating in conflict zones. Claire Tixeire of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, a co-plaintiff in the case, stated the decision signals that profiting from armed conflict carries severe legal consequences. Lafarge acknowledged the court's findings, calling it an "important milestone" in addressing this legacy issue.