Terrorism financing: Former Lafarge executives released under judicial supervision

The 69-year-old former CEO of the CAC 40 and his 75-year-old former deputy managing director were sentenced on April 13 by the Paris Criminal Court to six and five years in prison respectively, with immediate detention orders issued at the hearing. On May 19, they requested their release pending a new trial.

The Court of Appeal stated in its decision that pre-trial detention was "not the essential means" of ensuring the two men's appearance in court and took into account "the shock of imprisonment" they had suffered.

As part of their judicial supervision, she prohibited them from leaving French national territory and set a bail of 100.000 euros for Mr. Lafont and 90.000 euros for Mr. Herrault, to be paid by July 2.

However, she did not forbid them from contacting each other, as requested by the public prosecutor's office, even though the two men were incarcerated in the same cell at La Santé prison.

They should be released from prison by the end of the day.

Mr. Lafont's lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, told AFP that she was "relieved" and "especially reassured when magistrates, as is the case today, apply the law and the law."

Bruno Lafont and Christian Herrault are among the nine defendants found guilty on April 13 by the criminal court of having paid in 2013 and 2014, via the Syrian subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), nearly 5,6 million euros to armed jihadist groups in order to maintain the activity of a cement plant in Jalabiya, in northern Syria.

All the defendants, including the company Lafarge - former flagship of French industry now swallowed up by its Swiss competitor Holcim - sentenced to the maximum fine incurred, i.e. 1,125 million euros, as well as to pay jointly with four of its former executives a customs fine of 4,57 million euros for non-compliance with international financial sanctions, have appealed their conviction and will be retried in the coming months.