Cement maker Lafarge absolved of ‘crimes against humanity’
Lafarge, now part of the Franco-Swiss Lafarge-Holcim group, has been cleared by a French appeal court of crimes against humanity over its operations in Syria.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-Keystone/ac
The French cement company, which merged with Switzerland’s Holcim in 2015, was indicted in June 2018 for “complicity” in crimes against humanity.
On Thursday, the French court dropped the charge. However, the investigating chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal upheld the indictments brought against the cement company for “financing of terrorism”, “violation of an embargo” and “endangering the lives” of former employees of its Jalabiya plant.
Lafarge is accused of having financed jihadists in Syria, including the Islamic State group, which has directed and inspired multiple deadly attacks in Europe.
The company is suspected of having paid nearly €13 million (CHF15 million) via a subsidiary to intermediaries and armed groups, including the Islamic State organisation. The payments were reportedly made in 2013 and 2014 to maintain production in its Jalabiya plant, while the country was sinking into war.
More
More
LafargeHolcim admits to paying off armed groups in Syria
This content was published on
On Thursday, the company issued a press release responding to allegations made in numerous publications in 2016 about the company making deals with Syrian armed groups. An independent investigation supervised by its board’s finance and audit committee revealed the then Syrian branch of the then Lafarge company (before its merger with Holcim) had dealt with…
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Algerian to face trial in Switzerland for ties to Islamic State
This content was published on
A 51-year-old Algerian man has been charged by the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office for involvement in the banned terrorist group.
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Terror finance charges against LafargeHolcim’s ex-CEO dropped
This content was published on
French judges have dropped preliminary charges against LafargeHolcim’s former CEO, Eric Olsen, for "financing a terrorist enterprise."
This content was published on
The CEO of Franco-Swiss cement giant LafargeHolcim will step down in the wake of the company’s admission about war-torn Syria.
LafargeHolcim announces major job cuts in Switzerland
This content was published on
The world’s largest cement maker LafargeHolcim will close its head offices in Paris and Zurich, triggering 107 job cuts in Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.