The ruling comes after a protracted investigation that was started in 2016 by the anti-terrorism prosecutor in France. This is one of the biggest corporate criminal cases in French legal history.

Lafarge, a French cement maker and a Holcim subsidiary, is scheduled to go on trial in France on grave allegations of supporting terrorists and violating European sanctions in order to continue operations at its factory in Syria.

The ruling comes after a protracted investigation that was started in 2016 by the anti-terrorism prosecutor in France. This is one of the biggest corporate criminal cases in French legal history.

Investigative magistrates in Paris, meanwhile, issued the directive that Lafarge stand trial on Wednesday.

According to Reuters, Lafarge recognised the justices’ judgement on Thursday.

The parent company of Lafarge, Holcim, saw its shares fall by about 2% in late Wednesday trade, but they later recovered somewhat to settle down 0.7%.

As part of a larger examination of Lafarge’s business in Syria following the start of the crisis in 2011, the current probe focusses on claims that the corporation was involved in crimes against humanity.

The Sherpa anti-corruption organisation filed the complaint.

Lafarge’s attempt to have the accusations of participation in crimes against humanity removed from the inquiry was denied by the highest court in France in January.

Sherpa claims that the accusations also involve a European prohibition on having financial or business connections with extremist Islamist organisations like Al-Nusra and the Islamic State.

But Lafarge acknowledged in 2022—during a different American inquiry—that it had financed organisations Washington had labelled as terrorists, like as the Islamic State, in order to protect employees at its facility in the midst of the civil war.