In a notable decision by the French government, former President Nicolas Sarkozy has had his Legion of Honor medal revoked following his conviction for corruption and influence peddling. This decision was communicated through a decree in the Journal Officiel, adhering to the formal regulations surrounding the prestigious Legion of Honor. Sarkozy, who helmed the French presidency from 2007 to 2012, has been embroiled in several legal controversies since his departure from office.
In a 2021 ruling by a Paris court, subsequently upheld by an appeals court in 2023, Sarkozy was found guilty of attempting to bribe a magistrate to gain privileged information on a legal case in which he was a defendant. In response to these charges, Sarkozy was sentenced to a year of wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet— a verdict affirmed by the Court of Cassation, France’s highest judicial body, in December.
This year, Sarkozy also faced allegations of accepting millions of dollars from Libya to fund his successful 2007 presidential campaign. While he denies any wrongdoing, the prosecution has sought a seven-year prison sentence, with the court’s decision anticipated in September.
Sarkozy now joins a rare group of disgraced figures with revoked Legion of Honor awards. He becomes the second French head of state stripped of this esteemed honor, following in the ignominious path of Philippe Petain, a World War II-era leader convicted of treason in 1945 for his collaboration with Nazi Germany. Notably, the prestigious distinction has also been taken away from other renowned figures such as Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, amid his widely-publicized sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, and Lance Armstrong, the discredited Tour de France champion.
Though retiring from public life in 2017, Sarkozy continues to wield influence within the conservative political sphere in France.