Nicolas Sarkozy Officially Stripped of Legion of Honour Following Corruption Conviction
The former French president loses prestigious titles following a definitive prison sentence for corruption linked to the wiretapping scandal.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former President of France, has been officially excluded from the Legion of Honour following his conviction to one year in prison for corruption related to the wiretapping scandal.
An official decree, published on Sunday in the Journal officiel, confirms the removal of Sarkozy's accolades, which includes exclusion from the National Order of Merit.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, is the second French head of state to lose this distinction, the first being Marshal Philippe Pétain, who was stripped of the honour following his conviction for high treason in August 1945.
The decision to revoke Sarkozy's honours was anticipated since the French Court of Cassation upheld his conviction in December, rejecting his final appeal.
In the wiretapping case, Sarkozy was found guilty of attempting to bribe Gilbert Azibert, a judge at the Court of Cassation, in 2014. He sought confidential information regarding a legal case in return for a position.
Alongside Sarkozy, both Azibert and Thierry Herzog, Sarkozy's lawyer, received identical sentences of three years in prison, one of which is a custodial sentence.
According to the legal framework governing the Legion of Honour, exclusion is automatic for any recipient who incurs a definitive sentence for a crime or receives a prison term of one year or more.
General François Lecointre, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, underscored that such sanctions are enacted 'by right' in these circumstances.
Recently, the impending decision to strip Sarkozy of his distinctions stirred significant debate among political circles, with some members of the political right expressing dissatisfaction and concerns raised at the highest levels of the government.
In late April, President Emmanuel Macron commented that he believed it would not be a favorable decision to revoke Sarkozy's honours.
The official decree, dated June 5, also extends the exclusion from the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit to both Azibert and Herzog.
In addition to the wiretapping affair, Sarkozy faces multiple legal issues and is set to appear in early 2025 regarding allegations of Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, with a judgment in that case expected by the end of September.
An official decree, published on Sunday in the Journal officiel, confirms the removal of Sarkozy's accolades, which includes exclusion from the National Order of Merit.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, is the second French head of state to lose this distinction, the first being Marshal Philippe Pétain, who was stripped of the honour following his conviction for high treason in August 1945.
The decision to revoke Sarkozy's honours was anticipated since the French Court of Cassation upheld his conviction in December, rejecting his final appeal.
In the wiretapping case, Sarkozy was found guilty of attempting to bribe Gilbert Azibert, a judge at the Court of Cassation, in 2014. He sought confidential information regarding a legal case in return for a position.
Alongside Sarkozy, both Azibert and Thierry Herzog, Sarkozy's lawyer, received identical sentences of three years in prison, one of which is a custodial sentence.
According to the legal framework governing the Legion of Honour, exclusion is automatic for any recipient who incurs a definitive sentence for a crime or receives a prison term of one year or more.
General François Lecointre, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, underscored that such sanctions are enacted 'by right' in these circumstances.
Recently, the impending decision to strip Sarkozy of his distinctions stirred significant debate among political circles, with some members of the political right expressing dissatisfaction and concerns raised at the highest levels of the government.
In late April, President Emmanuel Macron commented that he believed it would not be a favorable decision to revoke Sarkozy's honours.
The official decree, dated June 5, also extends the exclusion from the Legion of Honour and the National Order of Merit to both Azibert and Herzog.
In addition to the wiretapping affair, Sarkozy faces multiple legal issues and is set to appear in early 2025 regarding allegations of Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, with a judgment in that case expected by the end of September.