Former Lafarge chief executive Bruno Lafont was sentenced to six years in prison after a Paris court found the cement giant guilty of financing jihadist groups to maintain operations in Syria during the civil war. The court uncovered a trail of €5.6 million in payments to Islamic State, Al-Nusrah front, and other militants near Lafarge's Jalabiya factory.

Lafarge and four former executives were convicted of financing terrorism and breaching European sanctions from 2011-2012. The company, which merged with Swiss firm Holcim in 2015 to form a group with a market capitalization of SFr41.1 billion, was ordered to pay a €1.125 million fine. Lafont, 69, denied knowledge of the payments, claiming he "doesn't read emails he's copied into."

Christian Herrault, Lafarge's former deputy CEO, received a five-year sentence, while other executives got between three and five years. The verdict marks a significant moment for corporate accountability, according to human rights groups. Lafarge previously agreed to pay $780 million in 2022 after pleading guilty to conspiring to support militant groups in the United States.