Overview
- The Paris Court of Appeal released Bruno Lafont and Christian Herrault under contrôle judiciaire on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, ending their mid‑April detention after the tribunal correctionnel sentenced them to six and five years in prison.
- The April 13 convictions found that payments made by Lafarge’s Syria unit helped armed groups and led to criminal sentences for the two ex‑executives and fines for the company.
- The court set travel bans and required cash deposits of €100,000 for Lafont and €90,000 for Herrault to secure their release and did not impose a blanket ban on contact between them.
- The pair had asked for release on May 19 ahead of an appeal and a new trial, and the appellate court said pretrial detention was not necessary to ensure they appear for future proceedings.
- The case centers on about €5.6 million in alleged payments to armed groups to keep a Syrian plant operating and its next phases could influence how courts hold corporate leaders criminally accountable for conduct in conflict zones.