Amid Syria’s descent into civil war, Lafarge’s quest to keep its $680 million cement plant running led to secret deals with terrorists—and ultimately, a historic U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecution for aiding ISIS.
The path to the DOJ’s landmark prosecution of Paris-based Lafarge began benignly enough: In 2010, Lafarge built a cement plant in the Jalabiyeh region of Syria for $680 million—the same year the Arab Spring began in Tunisia. The plant, a subsidiary called Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), operated at a loss much of the time, according to Holcim.
Political unrest reached Syria in March 2011, where peaceful protests swiftly turned into civil unrest. Riots led to escalated violence from authorities, which led to the formation of the Free Syrian Army against the Syrian government. An influx of armed factions and rebel groups, including jihadist terrorist organizations al-Nusra Front and ISIS, gained control of the surrounding areas. The geopolitical situation kept deteriorating. Chaos reigned.
While other companies pulled out of the region, Lafarge stayed—a strategic decision which precipitated a series of critical missteps that led to financial penalties, criminal charges, and reputation ruin.
Below is a timeline of events of the Lafarge scandal since 2010.
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