Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been officially stripped of his Legion of Honor medal following his conviction for corruption and influence peddling during his time as head of state. This decision was announced on Sunday through a government decree published in the Journal Officiel, which handles official legal announcements.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, has faced multiple legal challenges since leaving office. He was found guilty by a Paris court in 2021 and later confirmed by an appeals court in 2023 for attempting to bribe a judge to gain confidential information related to a legal case involving him. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year, a ruling that France’s highest court upheld in December.
Earlier this year, Sarkozy also went on trial accused of receiving millions of dollars from Libya to finance his 2007 presidential campaign, charges he denies. Prosecutors have sought a seven-year prison term, with the verdict expected in September.
Sarkozy is only the second former French leader to lose the Legion of Honor, the nation’s highest award, after Philippe Petain, who was convicted of treason for his role as leader of Vichy France during World War II. Other notable figures who have had their Legion of Honor revoked include Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, following sexual misconduct allegations, and cyclist Lance Armstrong, stripped of his award amid doping scandals.
Although Sarkozy retired from active politics in 2017, he remains an influential figure within the French conservative movement.
