French cement company paid millions to ISIL so it could operate in Syria, rights groups say
French cement group Lafarge paid close to €13 million (Dh56m) to armed groups including ISIL to keep operating in Syria from 2011 to 2015, human rights lawyers said.
They were speaking on Tuesday at a briefing on French prosecutors’ preliminary inquiry into Lafarge’s operations, which was launched in June on suspicion of“financing of a terrorist enterprise”.
The lawyers for rights group Sherpa said a large amount of the money went directly or indirectly into the pockets of ISIL, and that payments continued until well after the closure of Lafarge’s Jalabiya plant in September 2014.
They were citing a figure pinpointed by prosecutors examining Lafarge’s activities in Syria, in the throes of civil war since 2011, and drawn from an internal report by US law firm Baker and McKenzie for Lafarge.
“As part of the inquiry, the precise figure retained is €12.9m paid by Lafarge between 2011 and 2015 to terrorist organisations, including the Islamic State,” Sherpa lawyer Marie Dose said.
Lafarge became LafargeHolcim, the world’s largest cement maker, in 2015 after a takeover by Swiss company Holcim.
Former LafargeHolcim chief executive Eric Olsen resigned in April after the company admitted it had paid armed groups to keep a factory operating in Syria.
Mr Olsen’s lawyer has said his client will appeal against being put under investigation.
Sherpa and other human rights groups in France, as well as the French finance ministry, have filed suit against Lafarge.
Sherpa wants the company to be placed under formal criminal investigation, and also accuses Lafarge of not co-operating with authorities and trying to hide important elements from the investigation.
A LafargeHolcim spokeswoman rejected the accusations, but would not comment on the €13m figure.
“LafargeHolcim fully co-operates with the justice authorities. Thousands of documents have been given by the group to magistrates or seized during a search,” she said.
“We strongly contest that the company is trying in any way to limit the right of its employees or former employees to defend themselves, or limit their capacity to co-operate in a judicial inquiry.”
Being placed under formal investigation in France means that prosecutors believe they have “serious or consistent evidence” that could result in prosecution. Last Friday, Mr Olsen’s predecessor, Bruno Lafont, and his former deputy for operations were also placed under formal investigation.