The former Lafarge boss accuses the French secret services of collaborating with an extremist group in Syria

The former CEO of  French industrial company Lafarge has accused French intelligence of infiltrating the company in Syria and collaborating with an extremist group in a Middle Eastern country. Former boss Bruno Lafont accused the French secret services of using the industrial company to work with extremist groups such as the Islamic State. The CEO's bombastic revelations  came during an interview with  French news site Liberation. Lafont was one of eight Lafarge executives implicated in lawsuits allegedly funding extremist groups, including IS. 

 

 "The French authorities have encouraged us to continue our activities in Syria," Lafont told the French news agency.An extremist group shut down a factory  in Jalabiya, Aleppo,  in September 2014. On  October 18, 2022, Lafarge pleaded guilty to US charges of making payments to  extremist groups  operating in Syria. In an interview, the French chief executive said it was the French authorities who encouraged the company to continue  despite the devastation caused by the extremist group. “It is clear that between the story we told at the beginning that Lafarge funded terrorist groups in Syria for purely lucrative reasons in 2013-2014 and what we are finding out today, the situation is vastly different. he said in an interview on Friday. 

 

 Lafont on the privileged relationship between the French state and Lafarge 

 The former president alluded to the privileged relationship between the French authorities and the industrial giant.Lafont said the reason for the French authorities' particular interest in the company is that the factory site is in a strategic location for the anti-terrorist coalition and for France. "We understand that there was a special relationship between the French state and its services and Lafarge," said Lafot. "One of the reasons why the state was interested in us was that the factory site was  a very strategic location for the anti-terrorist coalition and for France. 

I think is why the authorities have at least encouraged us to continue our operations in Syria," he added. Earlier, a French court accused Lafont of allegedly paying the group of 4.From 8 to 10 million euros in 2013 and 2014. The former French CEO expects to testify before a  French court soon. It was the Swiss group Holcim that took over Lafarge and paid a  $778 million fine in the US after the French company pleaded guilty to supporting a terrorist organization.