Global cement company found guilty of financing ISIS and other militant groups during Syria war

• French cement company Lafarge was convicted of financing militant groups during the Syrian war.
  

• The firm paid about €5.6 million to ISIS and other factions to keep a cement plant operating.
  

• Former CEO Bruno Lafont and other executives were also convicted.
  

• The case is one of the most significant corporate terrorism-financing trials in recent years.

A French court has found cement manufacturer Lafarge guilty of financing militant groups, including the extremist organisation Islamic State, to keep its operations running during the Syrian civil war.

The ruling, delivered by a court in Paris, concluded that the company paid millions of euros to armed groups between 2013 and 2014 while operating a cement plant in northern Syria.

According to the BBC, Prosecutors said the payments were made through Lafarge’s Syrian subsidiary to secure safe passage for employees, maintain supply routes, and ensure the factory continued producing cement despite the growing conflict.

Investigators found that the company paid about €5.6 million to several militant factions, including ISIS and the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front. The court said the arrangement effectively allowed the groups to benefit financially while the company continued commercial activities in a war zone.

French judges described the payments as part of an “organised and illegal system” that enabled Lafarge to maintain operations even as extremist groups tightened their control over parts of the region.

Several former executives were also convicted in the case, including former chief executive Bruno Lafont, who received a prison sentence. Other senior officials were handed varying jail terms for their roles in approving or overseeing the payments.

The company itself was fined approximately €1.125 million, the maximum penalty under French law for the charges brought against it.

The case dates back to the early years of the Syrian civil war, when Lafarge continued operating its cement plant in the country despite increasing security risks. Prosecutors argued that the company prioritised profits over safety by maintaining business relationships with armed groups controlling the territory.

This is not the first legal consequence for the company over the scandal. In 2022, Lafarge pleaded guilty in the United States to providing material support to terrorist organisations and agreed to pay about $778 million in penalties.

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The case has become one of the most significant corporate trials linked to the Syrian conflict and has sparked global debate about the responsibilities of multinational companies operating in war zones.

Legal experts say the verdict sends a strong warning that corporations can face criminal liability if they engage financially with armed or extremist groups while conducting business in conflict areas.