Former Lafarge CEO Jailed as French Court Convicts Cement Giant for Financing Terrorism
A Paris court on Monday, April 13, 2026, delivered a landmark ruling finding the cement conglomerate Lafarge guilty of paying protection money to the Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist groups to maintain its operations in war-torn Syria. The decision marks the first time a corporate entity has been tried and convicted for financing terrorism in France.
The court sentenced Bruno Lafont, the former chief executive of Lafarge, to six years in prison for financing terrorism. A judge ordered Lafont to begin serving his sentence immediately, though his legal counsel has indicated an intent to appeal. In addition to the former CEO, eight other former employees were also found guilty on terrorism charges, including seven who were convicted specifically of financing terrorism.
The financial penalties for the company are significant. Lafarge was ordered to pay a fine of 1.125 million euros (approximately $1.3 million). The court determined that the company, through its subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), funneled nearly €5.6 million ($6.53 million) to intermediaries and terror groups, including the Nusra Front and the Islamic State, between 2013 and 2014.
The case centers on a $680 million factory in Jalabiya, which Lafarge completed in 2010 shortly before the Syrian Civil War began in March 2011. While most multinational corporations exited Syria by 2012, Lafarge maintained its presence, evacuating only expatriate staff while keeping its local workforce in place. This operational decision led to what presiding Judge Isabelle Prevost-Desprez described as a “genuine commercial partnership with IS.”
The judge emphasized the “extreme gravity of the offences,” stating: “This method of financing terrorist organisations, and primarily IS, was essential in enabling the terrorist organisation to gain control of Syria’s natural resources, allowing it to finance terrorist acts within the region and those planned abroad, particularly in Europe.”
This French conviction follows a previous 2022 legal action in the United States. In that case, Lafarge pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to US-designated terrorist organizations and agreed to a $778 million fine. This prior settlement underscored the severe legal and reputational risks companies face when operating in high-conflict zones where terror groups are known to engage in mass killings, enslavement, and torture.
Lafarge is currently a subsidiary of the Swiss building conglomerate Holcim. The ruling highlights the increasing legal accountability for corporate executives and entities regarding the financing of illicit groups in unstable markets.
