The Paris Court of Appeal ruled on Tuesday to release former Lafarge CEO Bruno Lafont and his deputy Christian Herrault from prison under judicial supervision, pending their appeal over terrorism financing convictions in Syria.
The court stated that pre-trial detention was not indispensable to ensure their appearance at the upcoming appeal trial, noting the "shock of imprisonment" for the men. Lafont, 69, and Herrault, 75, were sentenced on 13 April to six and five years in prison, respectively, and were immediately remanded in custody.
Under their release terms, both men are barred from leaving France. The court set bail at EUR100,000 for Lafont and EUR90,000 for Herrault, payable by 2 July. However, a prosecution request to block them from contacting each other was denied.
The executives were among nine defendants convicted for routing nearly EUR5.6 m to armed jihadist groups in 2013 and 2014 to keep a local cement factory operating during the Syrian civil war. Lafarge, now owned by Swiss rival Holcim, faced a maximum fine of EUR 1.125m plus customs penalties. All convicted parties have appealed.
