Holcim statement on Lafarge court interview
Company says alleged charges against Lafarge SA go completely against Holcim values
HOLCIM Group have issued a statement following the court interview of Lafarge SA on Monday 29 November 2021, in Paris, relating to the French company’s alleged involvement in the armed conflict in Syria between 2012–2014 and complicity in crimes against humanity.
In the statement, Holcim say they are continuing to fully collaborate with the French judicial authorities, and that given the gravity of the alleged offences, Beat Hess, chairman of the board of Holcim, had agreed to represent Lafarge SA at the court hearing.
At the closing of the court interview, Mr Hess said: ‘I cannot comment on the details of the case as the investigation is ongoing. What I can say is that all the alleged charges against Lafarge SA are in stark contrast with everything that Holcim stands for as a company.’
He continued: ‘The described events concerning Lafarge SA were concealed from the Holcim board at the time of the merger in 2015 and go completely against the values of our company. On behalf of the board of directors of Holcim, I would like to reiterate how extremely shocked and appalled we are by the alleged charges against Lafarge SA.’
The statement goes on to say that since becoming aware of this legacy issue in 2016, Holcim have proactively engaged reputable third-party experts to conduct a thorough independent investigation and shared its results transparently with the judicial authorities.
Moreover, all the individuals under investigation are no longer with the company, and all events under examination took place before the merger of Lafarge and Holcim and were concealed from Holcim during the merger.
Holcim add that across their business worldwide, they operate according to the highest standards of governance, ethics, and integrity, with zero tolerance for any breaches, and that their 70,000 people around the world stand by these principles every day.
