French anti-terrorism prosecutors sought a 1.125-million euro ($1.32 million) fine against cement giant Lafarge and prison sentences of up to eight years for eight former executives on trial for financing terrorism in Syria.
For ex-CEO Bruno Lafont, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) requested a six-year jail sentence with a deferred committal warrant, a fine of 225,000 euros and a 10-year ban on holding any commercial or industrial management position or managing a company.
The prosecution accuses the other seven, including Deputy CEO Christian Herrault and former Directors of the Syrian subsidiary Bruno Pescheux and Frederic Jolibois, of having "enabled the continuation of operations in Syria despite payments to armed groups."
They were joined by two Syrian intermediaries, Firas Tlass and Amro Taleb. The two are accused of having "acted as local intermediaries to negotiate or facilitate these payments."
In addition, two security managers, Ahmad al-Jaloudi (Jordanian) and Jacob Waerness (Norwegian), were suspected of having "taken part in operational arrangements with armed groups" to ensure site protection and the passage of convoys during the operation of the Jalabiya cement plant in Syria between 2012 and 2014.
