SÉVERIN MILLET
Imagine the scene. In a remote northern region of Syria, between the Euphrates River and the Turkish border, vast semi-arid steppes disappear into the distance. Here, there's little more to see than a road, armed militias that engage in kidnappings, checkpoints... and a cement plant.
On Tuesday, November 25, and Wednesday, November 26, the Paris criminal court delved – after a lengthy five-day introduction – into the core of the case against Lafarge, the French cement company standing trial for "funding terrorism" in this region. The trial concerns staggering errors in judgment that led the company's former executives to fund jihadist groups operating around the Jalabiya plant in order to keep cement production running at any cost, even as the country descended into civil war.
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