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6 May 2026

Cement Maker Lafarge And Eight Executives Convicted Of Sanctions And Terrorist Financing Breaches

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A Paris court has delivered its verdict in the landmark Lafarge prosecution, convicting the French cement company and eight former executives of terrorist financing and sanctions violations related to operations in Syria. The case resulted in substantial fines for the company and prison sentences ranging from 18 months to seven years for the convicted executives, with several defendants already signaling their intent to appeal.
France Criminal Law
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Further to our earlier posts, a court in Paris had today handed down judgment in the long-running Lafarge prosecution.

The company has been convicted of breaches of the EU’s Syrian sanctions as well as terrorist financing and has been fined €1.125m as well as a separate fine of €4.57m for breach of sanctions.

Of the executives also being prosecuted:

– Bruno Pescheux (former director of the Syrian cement factory) received a 5-year jail term and was fined €225,000;

– Bruno Lafont (former Lafarge CEO) was sentenced to 6 years in jail and fined €225,000;

– Christian Herrault (former deputy Managing Director) was sentenced to five years in jail and fined €225,000;

– Frederic Jolibois (successor to Pescheux) was sentenced to three years in jail, two of which were suspended, and fined €80,000;

– Jacob Waerness was sentenced to 18 months in jail and fined €20,000 and a ban from entering France;

– Ahmad Al Jaloudi was sentenced to 2 years in jail and fined €20,000 and a ban from entering France;

– Amro Taleb, a Syrian intermediary, was sentenced to 3 years in jail and fined and fined €60,000 and a ban from entering France;

– Firas Tlass, tried in absentia, was convicted and sentenced to seven years in jail with a €225,000 fine and a ban from entering France.

It appears that a decision on the confiscation of the proceeds of crime in this case is awaited. The prosecution was seeking confiscation of €30m.

Some of the individual defendants have already indicated their intention to appeal.

Disclaimer: This Alert has been prepared and published for informational purposes only and is not offered, nor should be construed, as legal advice. For more information, please see the firm's full disclaimer.

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