French cement behemoth Lafarge could be charged with ‘crimes against humanity’ in Syria’s civil war after the highest court in France on Tuesday overturned a decision by a lower court to dismiss the charges.
Lafarge, now part of Swiss group Holcim, is under formal investigation in France after it acknowledged that its Syrian subsidiary paid middlemen to negotiate with terror groups in their efforts to keep their factory running in the country after conflict erupted in 2011.
While in its internal investigation, the company admitted that its Syrian subsidiary financed armed groups to help protect staff at the plant in Syria, it has rejected a host of charges against it, including that it was complicit in committing ‘crimes against humanity’ by financing the terrorist groups.