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Roya News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Roya News
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.'
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Sarkozy stripped of France's top honour
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour -- the country's highest distinction -- following a conviction for graft, according to a decree published Sunday. The right-winger has been beset by legal problems since he was defeated in the 2012 presidential election after serving one five-year term. Sarkozy, 70, had been wearing an electronic ankle tag until last month after France's highest appeals court upheld his conviction last December of trying to illegally secure favours from a judge. According to the code of the Legion of Honour, France's top state award, any person definitively sentenced to a term in prison equal to or greater than one year is excluded from the order. But French President Emmanuel Macron had argued against such a move in April, saying that scandal-plagued Sarkozy had been elected and it was "very important that former presidents are respected". Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly socialise with the president. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the award after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in August 1945 for high treason and conspiring with the enemy. Others to have been stripped of the honour include former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, drug cheat cyclist Lance Armstrong and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein whose conduct with women sparked the #MeToo movement against sexual violence. Sarkozy is using his last remaining legal avenue, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, to defend himself against the conviction. Sarkozy's lawyer Patrice Spinosi said the former president had "taken note" of the decision to strip him of the Legion of Honour, but stressed that the petition lodged with the ECHR was "still pending". Any ECHR 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 said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that the "case has not been completely closed" in view of the appeal at European level. Government spokeswoman Sophie Primas added that comparisons between Sarkozy and Petain were "shameful". Sarkozy is currently on trial in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The court is to issue a verdict in September with prosecutors asking for a seven-year prison term for Sarkozy, who denies the charges. The Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, General Francois Lecointre, has stressed the importance of disciplinary measures to uphold the order's integrity. Lecointre told reporters in March that "the honour of the order depends on the fact that those decorated can also be sanctioned."
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Ex-president Sarkozy stripped of France's top honor after conviction
PARIS (AFP) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor — the country's highest distinction — following a conviction for graft, according to a decree published Sunday. The right-winger has been beset by legal problems since he was defeated in the 2012 presidential election after serving one five-year term. Sarkozy, 70, had been wearing an electronic ankle tag until last month after France's highest appeals court upheld his conviction last December of trying to illegally secure favors from a judge. According to the code of the Legion of Honor, France's top state award, any person definitively sentenced to a term in prison equal to or greater than one year is excluded from the order. But French President Emmanuel Macron had argued against such a move in April, saying that scandal-plagued Sarkozy had been elected and it was "very important that former presidents are respected." Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly socialize with the president. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the award after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in August 1945 for high treason and conspiring with the enemy. Others to have been stripped of the honor include former Syrian president Bashar Assad, drug cheat cyclist Lance Armstrong and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein whose conduct with women sparked the #MeToo movement against sexual violence. Sarkozy is using his last remaining legal avenue, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, to defend himself against the conviction. Shameful comparison Sarkozy's lawyer Patrice Spinosi said the former president had "taken note" of the decision to strip him of the Legion of Honor, but stressed that the petition lodged with the ECHR was "still pending." Any ECHR ruling against France would "imply reviewing the criminal conviction against (Sarkozy) as well as his exclusion from the order of the Legion of Honor," Spinosi said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that the "case has not been completely closed" in view of the appeal at European level. Government spokeswoman Sophie Primas added that comparisons between Sarkozy and Petain were "shameful." Sarkozy is currently on trial in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The court is to issue a verdict in September with prosecutors asking for a seven-year prison term for Sarkozy, who denies the charges. The Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor, General Francois Lecointre, has stressed the importance of disciplinary measures to uphold the order's integrity. Lecointre told reporters in March that "the honor of the order depends on the fact that those decorated can also be sanctioned."
eNCA
6 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Ex-president Sarkozy stripped of France's top honour after conviction
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour -- the country's highest distinction -- following a conviction for graft, according to a decree published Sunday. The right-winger has been beset by legal problems since he was defeated in the 2012 presidential election after serving one five-year term. Sarkozy, 70, had been wearing an electronic ankle tag until last month after France's highest appeals court upheld his conviction last December of trying to illegally secure favours from a judge. According to the code of the Legion of Honour, France's top state award, any person definitively sentenced to a term in prison equal to or greater than one year is excluded from the order. But French President Emmanuel Macron had argued against such a move in April, saying that scandal-plagued Sarkozy had been elected and it was "very important that former presidents are respected". Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly socialise with the president. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the award after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in August 1945 for high treason and conspiring with the enemy. Others to have been stripped of the honour include former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, drug cheat cyclist Lance Armstrong and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein whose conduct with women sparked the #MeToo movement against sexual violence. Sarkozy is using his last remaining legal avenue, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, to defend himself against the conviction. - 'Shameful' comparison - Sarkozy's lawyer Patrice Spinosi said the former president had "taken note" of the decision to strip him of the Legion of Honour, but stressed that the petition lodged with the ECHR was "still pending". Any ECHR 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 said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that the "case has not been completely closed" in view of the appeal at European level. AFP | Ludovic MARIN Government spokeswoman Sophie Primas added that comparisons between Sarkozy and Petain were "shameful". Sarkozy is currently on trial in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi. The court is to issue a verdict in September with prosecutors asking for a seven-year prison term for Sarkozy, who denies the charges. The Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, General Francois Lecointre, has stressed the importance of disciplinary measures to uphold the order's integrity. Lecointre told reporters in March that "the honour of the order depends on the fact that those decorated can also be sanctioned." By Jeremy Tordjman And Antonio Rodriguez
Muscat Daily
6 days ago
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Former French President Sarkozy stripped of national honour
Paris, France – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, has had his Legion d'honneur (Legion of Honour) award revoked after his conviction on graft charges, according to a decree published on Sunday. He has thus become the second French head of state to be stripped of the award after Philippe Petain, who headed the collaborationist Vichy regime during World War II and was convicted in August 1945 for high treason and conspiring with the Nazi occupiers. The widely-expected decision to take the award back from Sarkozy came despite the opposition of current French President Emmanuel Macron, who said in April that he thought that it was important for 'former presidents to be respected'. Why the award taken from Sarkozy? The Legion d'honneur, France's highest order of both civil and military merit, was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Under its rules, recipients automatically lose the award if they are convicted of a crime or receive a prison sentence of at least one year. Sarkozy, who has been dogged by legal problems since his heavy defeat in the 2012 French presidential election, has been convicted of graft. The conviction was upheld last year by an appeals court, which ordered him to wear an electronic ankle bracelet in place of a one-year jail sentence. The 70-year-old former president, who had the electronic tag removed this month, was found guilty of trying to secure favours from a judge illegally. Appeal underway Sarkozy is currently appealing the conviction at the European Court of Human Rights while also being tried in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. A verdict in the latter case is expected in September. Sarkozy, who denies the charges, could face a seven-year prison term if prosecutors have their way. His legal problems have not prevented him from continuing to have a political presence in right-wing politics in France, and he is also known to hold regular meetings with Macron. During his time in office, Sarkozy worked closely with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, particularly on problems associated with the eurozone crisis, earning the pair the sobriquet 'Merkozy'. DW
