Aggregate Industries' parent company Holcim – previously known as LafargeHolcim, a conglomerate formed by the merger of Swiss-based Holcim and French-based Lafarge – is accused of financing terrorism in Syria, as we have previously posted.
The company had argued that French authorities had no formal jurisdiction for prosecuting charges of war crime involvement abroad, an argument that was this week rejected:
PARIS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - France's highest court on Tuesday rejected a request from French cement maker Lafarge that it dismiss charges of complicity in crimes against humanity as part of an enquiry into how the group kept its factory running in Syria after war broke out in 2011. The procedural ruling, which upheld an earlier decision by a lower court, is not a verdict on guilt. But it means a multi-year investigation into the company's criminal liability on the grounds of alleged, highly symbolic crimes against humanity charges can continue.
Big decision today in France regarding the #Lafarge (@Holcim) case: "Lafarge remains charged with complicity in crimes against humanity, financing a terrorist organization and violating an embargo with Syria." https://t.co/xBlbTkWXO0
— León Castellanos Jankiewicz (@leoncastjan) January 16, 2024
