Syria: seized by Lafarge, the Court of Cassation rejects its decision

The cement manufacturer challenged on January 24 before the highest judicial court its indictment for endangering the lives of others, raising the question of the applicability of French labor law in the context of contracts with employees of its Syrian subsidiary Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS).

The group, now a subsidiary of Holcim, is also being prosecuted for complicity in crimes against humanity. He is suspected of having paid in 2013 and 2014, via LCS, several million euros to jihadist groups, including the Islamic State organization (IS), and to intermediaries, in order to maintain the activity of a cement factory. in Syria in Jalabiya, even as the country was sinking into war.

In this context, he had maintained the activity of his Syrian employees on the site until September 2014, while his employees of foreign nationality had been evacuated in 2012, which earned him prosecution for endangering others. , confirmed in May by the investigating chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal.

Lafarge then filed an appeal, examined on January 24. During the hearing, the lawyer for the cement manufacturer, Me Patrice Spinosi, had asked that the criminal chamber seek its opinion on the question from the social chamber or refer the dispute to a mixed chamber, before rendering its decision.

According to the judicial source, "the criminal chamber requested an opinion from the social chamber before being able to rule on the appeal". A new hearing will be held on September 19.