The committee of secrecy of national Defence has given its consent to the declassification of documents “top secret” on the activities of the cement companies Lafarge in Syria, at the heart of an investigation on suspicion of funding of groups jihadists.
These positive opinions were issued on 18 April and published in the official journal on 3 may, aim for a quarantine of documents from three intelligence services : the Directorate-general of internal security (ISB), the Directorate of military intelligence (DRM) and the Directorate-general for external security (DGSE).
The commission had been seized after requests for declassification submitted to the minister of the Interior Gérard Collomb, on the 12th of January, and the minister for the Armed forces, Florence Parly, on the 26th of march, by judge Charlotte Bilger in charge of this survey for “financing of terrorism” and “endangering the intent of the lives of others”.
It is now up to ministers to give their consent for these confidential materials are to be made in the investigative file.
To continue to run its factory, syrian Jalabiya, despite the war, Lafarge has spent nearly 13 million euros in suspicious transactions, part of which would have benefited the group islamic State, according to a report by the firm of chartered accountant of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC).
The stream at issue identified cover purchases of raw materials, including oil, providers may be linked to jihadists, tax payments to ensure the safety of the plant and / or rights-of-way employees and payments to intermediaries in charge of negotiating with the organisation IE.
The investigators seek to determine the extent to which the leadership in Paris, the group was aware of these arrangements with the armed groups, jihadists, and if the French diplomacy has or has not let him do it.
Seven ex-executives or officers of the company, whose ex-CEO, Bruno Lafont, have been indicted for “endangering the intent of the lives of others” and six of them for “financing a terrorist enterprise”.
Several associations have been allowed to constitute civil parties in this case: the Sherpa and the european Centre for constitutional rights and Human rights (ECCHR) and the Coordination of the christians of the Orient in danger (Chredo) as well as Life for Paris, which defends the victims of the attacks in paris, November 13, 2015, sponsored by the group AR.
Lafarge, which merged in 2015 with the Swiss Holcim, had to leave its cement plant in September 2014, when the organization jihadi was captured.
(With AFP)
