French cement company Lafarge SA on Tuesday pleaded guilty to US charges of paying bribes to the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) and other terror groups.
The firm admitted to paying material support to "IS" from August 2013 to October 2014 so that its plant in Syria can remain open. The payments occurred as the terrorist organization killed and tortured prisoners, including several westerners.
As part of its guilty plea, the company agreed to give up $687 million (€701 million) and pay a $90 million fine.
In a statement, LaFarge SA and its defunct branch Lafarge Cement Syria "accepted responsibility for the actions of the individual executives involved, whose behavior was in flagrant violation Lafarge's Code of Conduct. We deeply regret that this conduct occurred and have worked with the US Department of Justice to resolve this matter."
Lafarge, which joined Swiss company in Holcim in 2015, is also facing criminal charges in France for being complicit in crimes against humanity. Lafarge has denied those accusations.
