Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today, Friday, that the French company Lafarge has become exposed to the public as one of the most important institutions supporting terrorism.
This came in his speech before the Conference of Information Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul.
Erdogan indicated that there are attempts to weaken what he described as "Turkey's just struggle against terrorist organizations by spreading false news and illusions," as he put it.
He continued, "Those who slandered us yesterday were dealing with ISIS, doing business with it, and transferring millions of euros to terrorists in that same period, and that day is revealed with evidence and court decisions."
Erdogan added, "The French did not understand when I explained to them myself how the giant French cement company Lafarge supported and assisted terrorist organizations in northern Syria, and how concrete was poured in order to dig tunnels there. I also explained this to Mr. Emmanuel Macron, and now Parliament is holding him accountable for that."
admission of guilt
The French cement giant Lafarge and the Swiss parent group Holcim announced - last Tuesday - that Lafarge will pay a fine of $ 778 million to the US Department of Justice for aiding groups designated by the United States as terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State, during the war in Syria. .
The two companies issued a statement saying that Lafarge and its subsidiary, Lafarge Cement Syria, which had been dissolved, "agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to specific foreign terrorist organizations in Syria from August 2013 to October 2014".
It was also stated in a court session held in this regard that the "Lafarge" company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the US accusations against it of providing material support to groups designated by the United States as terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State.
Lafarge's action in Brooklyn federal court marks the first time a company has pleaded guilty in the United States to charges of providing material support to a group designated as terrorist.
Lafarge, which became part of Switzerland-listed Holcim in 2015, is also facing accusations in Paris of complicity in crimes against humanity.
Lafarge agreed to forfeit $687 million and pay a fine of $90 million as part of its guilty plea.
Previously, the cement maker admitted after an internal investigation that its subsidiary in Syria had paid groups to help protect factory workers, but denied accusations that it was complicit in crimes against humanity.