France, May 18 -- A Paris court of appeal has upheld the indictment of French cement group Lafarge for complicity in crimes against humanity concerning its activities in Syria at the height of the country's civil war.

Following a judicial investigation, which has been the subject of numerous procedural twists and turns, the Lafarge group -which is now a subsidiary of the Swiss conglomerateHolcim -was charged with having paid several million euros to terrorist groups, including the Islamic State armed group and its intermediaries, between2013 and 2014.

It was done in order to maintain the operations of a cement plant in the northern Syrian town of Jalabiya while the country spiralled into civil war

The group had reportedlyinvested ̈́...