France strips Sarkozy of Legion of Honour after corruption conviction
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been officially removed from the Legion of Honour, France's most prestigious award, following a corruption conviction, according to a decree published Sunday.
The 70-year-old conservative leader, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, had been under electronic surveillance until last month after his conviction for attempting to obtain confidential information from a judge in exchange for favors, a ruling upheld by France's highest court in December.
Under the rules governing the Legion of Honour, any recipient sentenced to a prison term of one year or more is automatically disqualified from the order. However, President Emmanuel Macron had previously expressed reservations about revoking Sarkozy's honor, arguing in April that, despite the scandal, 'it is very important that former presidents are respected.'
Despite his legal troubles, Sarkozy continues to wield influence in French right-wing circles and maintains a personal relationship with Macron.
Sarkozy is the second former French head of state to lose the honor, following Philippe Pétain, the Nazi collaborator convicted of treason in 1945. Others who have been stripped of the title include former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, and Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Sarkozy's legal team has taken the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), hoping to overturn the conviction. His lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, said the former president had 'taken note' of the decision, but emphasized that the ECHR petition is 'still pending.'
'A ruling against France would imply reviewing the criminal conviction against [Sarkozy] as well as his exclusion from the order of the Legion of Honour,' Spinosi added.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot echoed that the legal matter 'has not been completely closed,' while government spokeswoman Sophie Primas criticized comparisons between Sarkozy and Pétain as 'shameful.'
Meanwhile, Sarkozy is also standing trial in a separate high-profile case involving allegations of accepting illicit campaign funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. A verdict in that case is expected in September, with prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison sentence. Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing.
General François Lecointre, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, defended the move, stating in March that 'the honour of the order depends on the fact that those decorated can also be sanctioned.'
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