A French court on Monday fined the cement group Lafarge over $1.3 million and sentenced its former boss to six years in prison for paying protection money to the Islamic State group and other jihadists to maintain its business in war-torn Syria.
The ruling follows a 2022 case in the United States in which the French firm pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to US-designated "terrorist" organisations and agreed to pay a $778 million fine, the first time a company had faced the charge.
kAm%96 !2C:D 4@FCE 7@F?5 E92E {272C86 \\ ?@H A2CE @7 E96 $H:DD 4@?8=@>6C2E6 w@=4:> \\ A2:5 ?62C=J d]e >:==:@? 6FC@D WSe]d >:==:@?X :? a_`b 2?5 a_`c G:2 :ED DF3D:5:2CJ {272C86 r6>6?E $JC:2 W{r$X E@ ;:925:DE 8C@FAD 2?5 :?E6C>65:2C:6D E@ <66A :ED A=2?E @A6C2E:?8 :? ?@CE96C? $JC:2]k^Am
kAmxE CF=65 E92E {272C86 >FDE A2J E96 >2I:>F> 7:?6 @7 `]`ad >:==:@? 6FC@D WS`]b` >:==:@?X D@F89E 3J AC@D64FE@CD 5FC:?8 E96 EC:2=]Â k^Am
kAmxE 2=D@ D6?E6?465 E96 4@>A2?JVD 7@C>6C rt~ qCF?@ {27@?E E@ D:I J62CD :? AC:D@? 7@C 7:?2?4:?8 QE6CC@C:D>Q[ H9:49 2 ;F586 @C56C65 9:> E@ DE2CE D6CG:?8 :>>65:2E6=J \\ 6G6? E9@F89 2 =2HJ6C 4@?7:C>65 E92E {27@?E H@F=5 2AA62= E96 CF=:?8]k^Am
kAmQ%9:D >6E9@5 @7 7:?2?4:?8 E6CC@C:DE @C82?:D2E:@?D[ 2?5 AC:>2C:=J x$[ H2D 6DD6?E:2= :? 6?23=:?8 E96 E6CC@C:DE @C82?:D2E:@? E@ 82:? 4@?EC@= @7 $JC:2VD ?2EFC2= C6D@FC46D[ 2==@H:?8 :E E@ 7:?2?46 E6CC@C:DE 24ED H:E9:? E96 C68:@? 2?5 E9@D6 A=2??65 23C@25[ A2CE:4F=2C=J :? tFC@A6[Q D2:5 E96 AC6D:5:?8 ;F586[ xD236==6 !C6G@DE\s6DAC6K]k^Am
kAm%96 4@>A2?J 6DE23=:D965 2 Q86?F:?6 4@>>6C4:2= A2CE?6CD9:A H:E9 x$Q[ D96 25565[ D2J:?8 E96 2>@F?E A2:5 E@ ;:925:DE @C82?:D2E:@?D \\ H9:49 H2D Q?6G6C 5:D4=@D65Q \\ 4@?EC:3FE65 E@ E96 Q6IEC6>6 8C2G:EJ @7 E96 @776?46DQ]k^Am
kAm{272C86 925 7:?:D965 3F:=5:?8 2 Seg_ >:==:@? 724E@CJ :? y2=23:J2 :? a_`_[ ;FDE 367@C6 $JC:2VD 4:G:= H2C 6CFAE65 :? |2C49 E96 7@==@H:?8 J62C 2>:5 @AA@D:E:@? E@ E96?\AC6D:56?E q2D92C 2=\pDD25VD 3CFE2= C6AC6DD:@? @7 2?E:\8@G6C?>6?E AC@E6DED]k^Am
kAmx$Â ;:925:DED D6:K65 =2C86 DH2E96D @7 $JC:2 2?5 ?6:893@FC:?8 xC2B :? a_`c[ 564=2C:?8 2 4C@DD\3@C56C Q42=:A92E6Q 2?5 :>A=6>6?E:?8 E96:C 3CFE2= :?E6CAC6E2E:@? @7 xD=2>:4 =2H]k^Am
kAm(9:=6 @E96C >F=E:?2E:@?2= 4@>A2?:6D =67E $JC:2 :? a_`a[ {272C86 6G24F2E65 @?=J :ED 6IA2EC:2E6 6>A=@J66D 2?5 =67E :ED $JC:2? DE277 :? A=246 F?E:= $6AE6>36C a_`c[ H96? x$ ;:925:DED D6:K65 4@?EC@= @7 E96 724E@CJ]k^Am
kAmx? a_`b 2?5 a_`c[ {272C86 A2:5 :?E6C>65:2C:6D E@ 2446DD C2H >2E6C:2=D 7C@> E96 xD=2>:4 $E2E6 @C82?:D2E:@? 2?5 @E96C 8C@FAD 2?5 E@ 2==@H 7C66 >@G6>6?E 7@C E96 4@>A2?JVD ECF4<D 2?5 6>A=@J66D]k^Am
kAmxE A2:5 ;:925:DED :?4=F5:?8 E96 xD=2>:4 $E2E6 8C@FA 2?5 $JC:2VD E96? p=\"2652 277:=:2E6 y2392E 2=\}FDC2]k^Am
k9am\ V$:?8=6 2:>i AC@7:EV \k^9am
kAm%96 5676?52?ED :?4=F565 E96 4@>A2?J[ 7:G6 7@C>6C >6>36CD @7 @A6C2E:@?2= 2?5 D64FC:EJ DE277[ 2?5 EH@ $JC:2? :?E6C>65:2C:6D]k^Am
kAm%96 4@FCE 7@F?5 2== 6:89E 7@C>6C 6>A=@J66D 8F:=EJ @7 7:?2?4:?8 QE6CC@C:DEQ @C82?:D2E:@?D 2?5 :DDF65 D6?E6?46D C2?8:?8 7C@> `g >@?E9D E@ D6G6? J62CD 369:?5 32CD]k^Am
kAmu:C2D %=2DD[ 2 $JC:2? 6I\>6>36C @7 DE277 H9@ >256 E96 A2J>6?ED E@ E96 ;:925:DE 8C@FAD[ H2D D6?E6?465 :? 23D6?E:2 E@ D6G6? J62CD :? ;2:=]k^Am
kAmu@C>6C 56AFEJ >2?28:?8 5:C64E@C r9C:DE:2? w6CC2F=E H2D 92?565 7:G6 J62CD :? ;2:=]k^Am
kAmw6CC2F=E 925 2C8F65 E92E E96 564:D:@? E@ <66A E96 724E@CJ @A6? H2D >256 @FE @7 4@?46C? 7@C =@42= DE277]k^Am
kAmQ(6 4@F=5 92G6 H2D965 @FC 92?5D @7 :E 2?5 H2=<65 2H2J[ 3FE H92E H@F=5 92G6 92AA6?65 E@ E96 724E@CJVD 6>A=@J66DnQ 96 D2:5]k^Am
kAm!C@D64FE@CD D2:5 eh\J62C\@=5 {27@?E Q82G6 4=62C :?DECF4E:@?DQ E@ <66A E96 A=2?E @A6C2E:@?[ 2 564:D:@? E96J 42==65 QDE2886C:?8 :? :ED 4J?:4:D>Q]k^Am
kAm%96 uC6?49 ?2E:@?2= 4@F?E6CE6CC@C:D> AC@D64FE@CVD @77:46 W!}p%X D2:5 :? :ED 4=@D:?8 2C8F>6?E :? s646>36C E92E {272C86 H2D 8F:=EJ @7 7F?5:?8 QE6CC@C:DEQ @C82?:D2E:@?D H:E9 Q2 D:?8=6 2:>i AC@7:EQ]k^Am
k9am\ $64@?5 42D6 @?8@:?8 \k^9am
kAmw@=4:>[ H9:49 E@@< @G6C {272C86 :? a_`d[ 92D D2:5 :E 925 ?@ <?@H=6586 @7 E96 $JC:2Â 562=:?8D]k^Am
kAmp D64@?5 42D6[ 4@?46C?:?8 2==682E:@?D @7 4@>A=:4:EJ :? 4C:>6D 282:?DE 9F>2?:EJ[ :D @?8@:?8]k^Am
kAmzFC5:D9\=65 $JC:2? 7:89E6CD[ 324<65 3J &$ 2:CDEC:<6D[ 56762E65 E96 x$ Q42=:A92E6Q :? a_`h]k^Am
kAmp? :?BF:CJ H2D @A6?65 :? uC2?46 :? a_`f 27E6C D6G6C2= >65:2 C6A@CED 2?5 EH@ =682= 4@>A=2:?ED :? a_`e[ @?6 7C@> E96 7:?2?46 >:?:DECJ 7@C E96 2==6865 3C6249:?8 @7 2? 64@?@>:4 D2?4E:@? 2?5 2?@E96C 7C@> ?@?\8@G6C?>6?E2= 8C@FAD 2?5 `` 7@C>6C {272C86 $JC:2 DE277 >6>36CD @G6C 2==6865 Q7F?5:?8 @7 E6CC@C:D>Q]k^Am
kAmx? E96 &$ 42D6[ E96 yFDE:46 s6A2CE>6?E D2:5 {272C86 D@F89E E96 xD=2>:4 $E2E6 8C@FAVD 96=A E@ DBF66K6 @FE 4@>A6E:E@CD[ @A6C2E:?8 2? 67764E:G6 QC6G6?F6 D92C:?8 28C66>6?EQ H:E9 E96>]k^Am
kAm{27@?E[ H9@ H2D 49:67 6I64FE:G6 7C@> a__f E@ a_`d[ 2E E96 E:>6 56?@F?465 E96 :?BF:CJ 2D Q3:2D65Q]k^Am
kAm2>5\65J^6<7^29^;Dk^Am
