The French anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office in Paris has called for a €1.125 million fine against cement giant Lafarge, and prison sentences of up to eight years for eight of its former executives.
The most severe sentence sought relates to Syrian businessman Firas Tlass, who was absent from the trial and is currently the subject of an international arrest warrant, according to France 24.
Lafarge is accused of paying money to groups designated as terrorist organisations in Syria up to the year 2014—including Islamic State (ISIS) and the al-Nusra Front, which was then affiliated with al-Qaeda—in order to keep its cement plant operating in Jalabiya, northern Syria.
The prosecution also requested a six-year suspended prison sentence for the group’s former CEO, Bruno Lafont, alongside a €225,000 fine and a ten-year ban on holding any commercial, industrial, or managerial post.
As for Lafarge as a legal entity, prosecutors have requested partial confiscation of its assets, estimated at €30 million.
France’s national customs oversight authority has separately demanded a joint customs fine of €4.57 million against Lafarge and four co-defendants, citing violations of international financial sanctions.
Company executives are on trial in Paris on charges of financing terrorism, having allegedly made payments in 2013 and 2014 through Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS) to both ISIS and al-Nusra. This took place while many foreign firms had already suspended operations and exited Syria.
Lafarge also allegedly paid intermediaries to protect its factory during the height of the Syrian conflict.
The trial began on 4 November, as reported by Radio Monte Carlo, and involves Bruno Lafont, five other former operational or security executives, and two Syrian intermediaries—one of whom, Firas Tlass, is subject to an international arrest warrant. The case also includes the company itself, which was acquired by Swiss-based Holcim in 2015.
Origins of the Case
Legal proceedings began in 2017 following investigative reports and formal complaints in 2016—one from the French Ministry of Economy for breaching Syria-related financial sanctions, and another from NGOs and 11 former Syrian employees of Lafarge, accusing the firm of financing terrorism.
In parallel, Holcim, which had acquired Lafarge in 2015, launched its own internal investigation. The company has consistently denied involvement in events preceding the merger.
A 2017 investigation by U.S. law firm Baker McKenzie and French firm Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier concluded that Lafarge had committed “violations of corporate conduct standards.”
In October 2022, Lafarge pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to paying approximately $6 million to ISIS and al-Nusra, and agreed to a fine of $778 million. Former CEO Bruno Lafont claimed he was unaware of payments made to jihadist groups.
Who is Firas Tlass?
Firas Tlass is the head of the Syrian Promise Movement and the Syrian National Party. He holds a degree in economics from Damascus University (1984) and is the eldest son of former Syrian Defence Minister Mustafa Tlass, and the brother of defected Brigadier General Manaf Tlass.
He became one of Syria’s wealthiest businessmen, founding several enterprises including Palmyra Real Estate Development and the MAS Group, which operated in commodities trading, metals, and canned foods. He also held significant interests in the sugar trade and was a partner of Lafarge in its Syrian operations.
Tlass left Syria for France with his father in March 2012, and has since alternated residence between France, the UAE, and Egypt.
On 26 June 2012, he publicly called for Bashar al-Assad to step down and acknowledged providing humanitarian support to the Farouq Brigade in Homs, then led by his relative Abdul Razaq Tlass, a defector from the Assad regime.
Tlass was among the founders of the Syrian Promise Movement, established on 11 April 2014 to operate in areas outside regime control. On 7 February 2021, he announced the formation of the Syrian National Party, promising to operate from within Syria and to prioritise the economic welfare and basic needs of Syrian citizens.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
