"Lafarge in Syria: the cement manufacturer demands 200 million euros in compensation from its former CEO" 28 January 2025

French cement manufacturer Lafarge, accused of having paid jihadist groups to maintain its activity in Syria until 2014, and its Swiss owner Holcim, requested during a hearing on Monday January 27th 200 million euros in compensation for damages to its CEO at the time of the events, Bruno Lafont, as well as to four other people.

Lafarge is suspected of having paid in 2013 and 2014, via a Syrian subsidiary, more than 5 million euros in "taxes" and purchases of raw materials to jihadist groups, including the Islamic State (IS) organization, and to intermediaries, in order to maintain the activity of a cement plant in Jalabiya, even as the country was sinking into war.

The company, now a subsidiary of the Swiss group Holcim, pleaded guilty in the United States to these facts in 2022 and then paid a financial penalty of 778 million dollars.

Holcim and Lafarge are now taking legal action against Mr. Lafont, CEO of the cement company from 2007 to 2015, and three other former executives of the group, as well as a Syrian businessman. They requested on Monday before the Paris Economic Activities Court 200 million euros in compensation for the "damage suffered", to be paid jointly and severally.

"This action is crazy: no one here has 200 million euros, and Lafarge knows it," said Mr. Lafont's lawyer, Quentin de Margerie, at the hearing.

The latter denies having any knowledge of the payments to Syria, and, like the other former leaders, denies any involvement.

He believes that after Lafarge and Holcim pleaded guilty in 2022 without notifying him, they went against his presumption of innocence and his ability to defend himself in the other proceedings awaiting him.

Because a trial, this time criminal, is still awaiting Mr. Lafont, Lafarge and seven other former executives.

They will be tried before the Paris Criminal Court at the end of 2025 for "financing terrorist enterprises" and, for some, non-compliance with international financial sanctions...

Another trial could be held at a later date, this time before the assizes, for Lafarge, also prosecuted for complicity in crimes against humanity, an extremely rare ground for indictment...