It remains unclear when the trial will begin regarding the case against the French cement giant Lafarge for its alleged links to the Daesh terrorist group.
It has been five years since the case was filed against Lafarge for funding terrorism to continue its activities in Syria was submitted to the judiciary.
Also, no official statement was made on whether the investigation file was transferred to new judges, despite the defendant's request and the court's decision.
Cannelle Lavite, a lawyer from one of the civil parties in the case, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that it is unknown where the money from the alleged link between Lafarge and the terrorist group was spent.
'Lafarge issue not uncommon in France'
She stressed that there is no evidence showing that the Daesh terrorist attacks in France were not carried out with the money Lafarge allegedly gave to the terrorist group.
Commercial activities of the companies will not exempt them from their responsibilities and Lafarge should be seen as "a partner in the crime against humanity," added Lavite.
Revealing the documents in the media will shed light on the case, she stressed, saying the Lafarge issue is not uncommon in France.
Inconclusive judicial processes against companies involved in crimes do not have a deterrent effect, Lavite noted, adding that Lafarge is using all possible opportunities to slow down and postpone the hearing.
"At this stage, we don't even know if Lafarge will be prosecuted for the charges," she said, referring to the current situation that a date has yet to be announced for the trial.
Payments to terrorist groups
Lafarge is a French industrial company specializing in cement, concrete, and construction aggregates. The company was accused of paying almost 13 million euros ($13.68 million) to foreign groups, including the terrorist group Daesh, to maintain their factory presence in the city of Jalabiya in northern Syria during the civil war.
CEO Bruno Lafont and eight Lafarge executives were also accused of financing a terrorist group and endangering the lives of others.
In 2019, the Paris Court of Appeals dismissed the charges of crimes against humanity, accepting the defense that payments made by Lafarge were not used in aiding or abetting the war effort. The other charges stood, though, including that of violating an EU embargo.
Lafarge has denied any wrongdoing in the allegations that it negotiated with terrorist organizations and has continued to fight all charges.
Documents obtained and published by AA earlier revealed that Lafarge constantly informed the French intelligence agencies about its ties with the Daesh terrorist group.
The documents unveiled that Lafarge had a relationship with the group and the French intelligence was aware of it. They showed that the French intelligence agencies used Lafarge's network of relations, cooperation with terrorist groups in Syria and meetings to maintain its operations there and obtain news from the region. They also revealed that the French intelligence did not warn the company that they were committing a crime.
In addition, Lafarge's facility in Syria is used as a base by U.S. soldiers while regime forces are stationed at several points about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) east of the site. The PKK terrorist organization, with the encouragement of Russia, started to grow closer to the Bashar Assad regime in Syria as the possibility of Türkiye intervening increased. The terrorist organization, which tried to deter Türkiye by presenting the occupied areas as under regime control, allowed regime soldiers to be deployed at certain points in the occupied regions.
In this context, the regime forces have been deployed at several points in the region approximately 3 kilometers east of the Jalabiya facility since the end of July.
There are currently 300 to 400 regime soldiers, tanks, heavy weapons and armored vehicles in the region.
In France, in 2016, the news was published that Lafarge financed the terrorist organization Daesh in the Syrian civil war.
According to the French press, the company provided materials and fuel from the organization in addition to paying tribute to Daesh in order to continue its activities in the Jalabiya region of Syria, a town located close to Ain al-Arab.
While the company admitted in 2017 that it had made payments to armed groups to keep the factory open, it denied accusations of "participating in crimes against humanity."
Eight executives of the company, into which an investigation was launched, were charged with financing terrorism and collaborating in crimes against humanity.
The charge of "participating in crimes against humanity" that was brought against the company in June 2018 was dropped in November 2019.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) reacting to the dismissal of the charge brought the issue to the French Supreme Court.
In a speech in 2019, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan once again censured the vast amount of ammunition and heavy weapons provided for the PKK's Syrian branch, the YPG, by Türkiye’s allies, particularly the United States. He also raised another important risk for Türkiye’s national security – as the YPG is not only equipped with arms and ammunition but significant facilities such as Lafarge’s vast plant in Jalabiya, which is used as a base and manufacturing site for the group.