Financing terrorism in Syria charges stick for French concrete giant
Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV, Paris
A French court has let construction giant Lafarge off the hook for crimes against humanity despite working with terrorists like ISIL in northern Syria for years. Such a conviction would have been a first and could have set a precedent to prevent more corporate wrongdoing.
The court did uphold charges of financing a terrorist enterprise, which is also a judicial first, as well as violating an embargo and wilfully endangering workers.
From 2010 to 2014 Lafarge paid over 13 million euros to terrorist groups in order to keep their plant running. Six million tons of concrete they produced was used by terrorists for fortifications - reportedly the largest on any battlefield since World War II. They paid bribes to get raw materials, taxes to ship out concrete, and ransoms when employees whom Lafarge pushed to keep working were inevitably kidnapped.
Seemingly never reported in the West is the crucial leaked testimony which proved that the French Foreign Ministry knew all about Lafarge’s dealings with the terrorists, was in 'permanent contact' with the company, and told Lafarge to 'hold on; and 'that everything would work out'.
Many have insisted that top officials from the foreign ministry, including ex-minister Laurent Fabius, be compelled to testify about their involvement. Just ahead of the decision the US and France bombed the factory to rubble, destroying evidence.
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