French cement maker Lafarge found guilty of financing jihadists in Syria

Holcim AG

13/04/2026 11:34

By Juliette Jabkhiro

PARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - A Paris court on Monday found cement maker Holcim's Lafarge unit guilty of charges that its Syrian subsidiary financed terrorism and breached European sanctions to keep a plant operating in northern Syria during the country's civil war.

Eight former Lafarge employees, including executives, were also found guilty of financing terrorism.

Judges ruled that Lafarge paid 5.593 million euros ($6.53 million) in total to jihadist groups including Islamic State and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, both designated as terrorists by the EU, between 2013 and September 2014.

     ($1 = 0.8559 euros)

 (Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; Editing by Dominique Vidalon)

 ((Email : juliette.jabkhiro@thomsonreuters.com))