Lafarge found guilty of paying ISIS, Nusa Front terrorists $6.5m in Syria

A PARIS court has ruled that Lafarge, the French cement manufacturer, paid $6.5 million to armed jihadist groups in Syria, including Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. The case marks the first time a company has been prosecuted in France for financing terrorism, following an investigation that began in 2017.

The court sentenced former CEO Bruno Lafont to 6 years in prison for terrorism financing, while former Deputy Managing Director Christian Herrault received a 5-year jail term in Monday’s judgment.

Lafarge said it accepted the court’s findings, noting that the actions dated back more than a decade and breached its internal code of conduct.

Financing terrorism

The company’s Syrian cement plant began operations in 2010, shortly before the uprising that led to the country’s civil war. While many multinational firms exited Syria in 2012, Lafarge withdrew only its expatriate staff, keeping local employees on site until September 2014, when ISIS took over the facility.

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According to prosecutors, workers were based in Manbij and had to cross the Euphrates River to reach the plant. The court heard that Lafarge used intermediaries to secure safe passage for staff and transport operations.

Presiding judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez said the payments were aimed at maintaining operations but ultimately strengthened extremist groups responsible for attacks within Syria and beyond. She added that the undisclosed sums contributed significantly to the seriousness of the offences, enabling militants to control natural resources and fund terrorist activities, including operations in Europe.

Herrault had maintained that the decision to continue operations was driven by concern for employees’ safety. Lafarge, now owned by Holcim, was fined €1.125 million.

Lafarge’s Nigeria footprint

Lafarge remains a major cement producer in Nigeria, with an installed capacity of about 10.5 million metric tonnes annually across 4 plants. The company recently announced plans to expand its Ashaka facility in Gombe and its Sagamu plant in Ogun, targeting capacities of 2 million and 3.5 million metric tonnes per year respectively.

In August last year, Holcim sold its 83.81 percent stake in Lafarge Africa Plc to Huaxin Cement in a deal valued at $1 billion on a full equity basis, before dividend adjustments.

Nigeria’s terrorism financing scrutiny

The development comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to track financial flows linked to terrorism. The federal government recently published a list of 48 individuals and organisations suspected of involvement in terror financing.

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Among the groups cited was the Islamic State West Africa Province, which operates mainly in Nigeria’s North-East and the Lake Chad region. Individuals named include Simon Ekpa and Tukur Mamu, both linked to ongoing investigations or trials.

President Bola Tinubu has described terrorism in Africa as an ‘imported evil,’ as authorities step up measures to disrupt funding channels tied to insecurity.