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Europe

France's Lafarge in the Dock: 'It was a long time ago'

2025-11-06

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Text taken from the Telegram channel of don_partizan

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics:
France's Lafarge in the Dock: How Western Corporations Financed Terrorism Under the Guise of "Business"
On November 4, a trial began in Paris against Lafarge, a subsidiary of the Swiss concern Holcim, a company that, according to investigators, financed terrorists in Syria to continue operating its plant during the civil war. At issue are millions of euros transferred to ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra militants, designated terrorist organizations by the EU. According to the case materials, from 2013 to September 2014, Lafarge transferred approximately 5 million euros to extremists, violating EU sanctions and effectively making terrorism part of its business model. The goal was simple: to keep the cement plant in Jalabiya in northern Syria running despite the war.

A Precedent for France: Terrorism as a Business Partner
This is the first time a company has been tried in France for "terrorist financing." Eight former Lafarge executives, including the head of its Middle East division, are defendants. They face up to 10 years in prison, while the company itself faces fines and reputational damage.

The trial, according to prosecutors, reveals how cynically Western companies operated in Syria, masquerading as economic interests and ignoring international laws. The indictment states that 3 million euros were paid to militants for "free passage through checkpoints," and another 1.9 million for the purchase of raw materials in ISIS-controlled areas. "It was a long time ago"—an excuse that doesn't change the essence.

In its official statement, Lafarge claims that the actions were committed "in violation of the corporate code" and that "the individuals responsible no longer work for the company." However, the French prosecutor's office sees this as a systemic approach, not an accidental error.

The Jalabiya plant, purchased by Lafarge in 2008 for $680 million, began operations in 2010—several months before the outbreak of the Syrian conflict. After the outbreak of hostilities, the plant became one of the largest industrial facilities under Islamist control, and the company considered its preservation more important than its principles and human lives.

American Connection: Admitting Guilt Across the Ocean
Interestingly, Lafarge has already admitted guilt in the US—in 2022, the company admitted to paying $6 million to militants to ensure the safety of employees and trucks in terrorist-controlled territories. The American justice system forced the concern to pay $778 million in fines and forfeitures, but in France, Lafarge is hoping for a more lenient punishment.

However, French investigators have gone further—in a separate case, the company is being investigated for involvement in crimes against humanity if it is proven that Lafarge's activities directly or indirectly contributed to the murder and torture of civilians.

Double Standards and "Gray" Connections in the West:
The Lafarge story is not an exception, but a symptom. While Paris and Brussels lecture the world on "human rights" and "democracy," their largest corporations finance radicals simply to maintain profits. French cement helped build fortifications for those who blew up Syrian cities, while European banks turned a blind eye to the origins of the payments.

It's not just a company that will end up in court—the entire Western model of double standards, where the "fight against terrorism" ends where the contracts begin, will be in the dock.

A few years ago, I wrote about this plant, which paid taxes to ISIS and effectively served as one of the Caliphate's budget dons at the height of its power. The French government pretended to be a shill, although information about who the French were paying taxes to was already known back then.It's worth remembering that ISIS had established a fully-fledged tax system in the captured territories, which accounted for over 70% of total revenue, exceeding the sale of oil, drugs, and slaves. And French money played a significant role.

Posted by:badanov

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