Lafarge, a French cement manufacturer, was found guilty of giving millions of dollars in protection money to jihadist organizations, such as the Islamic State (IS), in order to maintain operations in Syria throughout the civil war. Additionally, eight former Lafarge employees—including former CEO Bruno Lafont, who was sentenced to six years in prison on Monday—were found guilty of funding terrorism.
Lafarge paid parties $6.5 million (€5.59 million; £4.83 million) between 2013 and 2014 to maintain its facility in northern Syria, according to the Paris court. According to Judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez, these payments have given banned organizations power over the nation’s natural riches, allowing them to fund attacks throughout Europe and the Middle East.The court can see that the sponsorship of a terrorist group was done only to maintain the Syrian facility for financial gain. Lafarge’s operations were made possible by payments to terrorist organizations, according to Prevost-Desprez.These payments were made as part of an actual business collaboration with IS, she continued.
The court’s decision, which Lafarge told the BBC “concerns a legacy matter involving conduct that occurred more than a decade ago and was in flagrant violation of Lafarge’s code of conduct,” was acknowledged. The decision was referred to as a “significant turning point” in the company’s efforts to “address this legacy matter responsibly.”
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