Sarkozy Stripped of France’s Highest Honour After Corruption Conviction

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been officially stripped of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour following the final confirmation of his corruption conviction, marking a historic fall from grace for one of France’s most prominent political figures.

The decision comes after France’s Court of Cassation in December 2023 upheld Sarkozy’s 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling. The charges stemmed from a scheme in which the former president attempted to bribe a magistrate using secret phone lines under a pseudonym, “Paul Bismuth,” in exchange for confidential information regarding an ongoing legal investigation.

Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended and one year to be served under house arrest with an electronic monitoring tag. The sentence marked an unprecedented moment in French legal history, making him the first former president to be convicted and serve time under such terms.

Under the statutes governing the prestigious Legion of Honour, recipients who are sentenced to at least one year in prison are automatically subject to removal from the order. The revocation of Sarkozy’s award was officially gazetted last week, making him only the second French head of state after Marshal Philippe Pétain to lose the distinction.

The former president is currently appealing his conviction at the European Court of Human Rights, claiming judicial bias and procedural irregularities. His legal troubles are far from over, as he also faces another high-profile trial scheduled for September, involving allegations of illegal campaign financing linked to funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Despite support from some political allies and reportedly reluctant sentiments from President Emmanuel Macron, the French government moved forward with the legal obligation to revoke Sarkozy’s Legion of Honour, underlining the republic’s firm stance on accountability.

Sarkozy has denied all charges against him and maintains his innocence.