United States of America v. Lafarge SA and Lafarge Cement Syria SA… The title sounds like a “made in the USA” thriller. However, the 101 pages of the accompanying document of the US Department of Justice plunge the reader into the heart of one of the most sulphurous cases of recent years.
On October 18, French cement giant Lafarge, also under investigation in France, pleaded guilty in the US to financing two terrorist organizations, the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, between August 2013 and October 2014. Lafarge paid $777.78 million (about €770 million) to end the investigation, which was conducted under provisions allowing extraterritorial prosecution.
Sell at any cost
The facts are overwhelming and come at a time when ISIS is already on the rampage. American justice reminds us, for example, of the beheading of American journalist James Foley in August 2014. Confronting these crimes, the narrative details the modus operandi of businessmen selling their cement…
Source: Le Figaro
