Latest news with #LegionOfHonor
Russia Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Sarkozy stripped of France's highest state award
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been excluded from the prestigious National Order of the Legion of Honor, according to a state decree published on Sunday. The revocation follows a 2022 conviction for corruption and influence peddling. Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the Legion of Honor (Légion d'honneur) is currently France's highest award. It is bestowed for exemplary civil or military service and is regarded as a mark of distinction and official recognition of exceptional merit. The rules of the Legion of Honor mandate the exclusion of any recipient sentenced to a term of imprisonment of one year or more. The exclusion stems from a conviction in what has become known as the 'wiretapping affair.' In 2021, Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, was found guilty of attempting to bribe a judge in exchange for confidential information about a separate investigation related to his 2007 presidential campaign. In 2023, the former president was handed a three-year prison sentence, including two years suspended and the remaining one at home with electronic monitoring. In late 2024, the Court of Cassation, France's highest court, upheld the sentence that Sarkozy had sought to challenge. The revocation makes Sarkozy the second head of the French state to be stripped of the Legion of Honor; the first was the notorious Marshal Philippe Petain. The head of the Nazi puppet regime of Vichy France during World War II was convicted of high treason in 1945. The decision to strip Sarkozy of the award came despite the reported reluctance of current French President Emmanuel Macron, who said in April that he thought that the former head of state 'deserves respect.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ex-president Sarkozy Stripped of France's Top Honor after Conviction
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 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 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 president 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."
CTV News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
French ex-president Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honor medal over corruption scandal
PARIS — France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor medal after being convicted last year of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country's head of state, it was announced on Sunday. The decision was made via a decree released in the Journal Officiel that publishes the government's major legal information. It comes in line with the rules of the Legion of Honor. The conservative politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has been at the heart of a series of legal cases since leaving office. He was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by both a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. He was sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year, a verdict upheld by France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, in December. Earlier this year, Sarkozy stood trial over allegations he received millions of dollars from Libya for his successful presidential campaign in 2007. He denies the claims. Prosecutors requested a seven-year prison sentence. The verdict is expected in September. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the Legion of Honor — France's highest distinction — after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in 1945 for treason and conspiring with the enemy for his actions as leader of Vichy France from 1940-1944. Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was stripped of his Legion of Honor award in the wake of widespread sexual misconduct allegations against him in 2017. Disgraced cyclist and former Tour de France star Lance Armstrong also had his French Legion of Honor award revoked. Sarkozy retired from public life in 2017 though still plays an influential role in French conservative politics. Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
French ex-president Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honor medal over corruption scandal
PARIS — France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor medal after being convicted last year of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country's head of state, it was announced on Sunday. The decision was made via a decree released in the Journal Officiel that publishes the government's major legal information. It comes in line with the rules of the Legion of Honor.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
French ex-president Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honor medal over corruption scandal
PARIS (AP) — France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honor medal after being convicted last year of corruption and influence peddling while he was the country's head of state, it was announced on Sunday. The decision was made via a decree released in the Journal Officiel that publishes the government's major legal information. It comes in line with the rules of the Legion of Honor. The conservative politician, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has been at the heart of a series of legal cases since leaving office. He was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling by both a Paris court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 for trying to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a legal case in which he was implicated. He was sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year, a verdict upheld by France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, in December. Earlier this year, Sarkozy stood trial over allegations he received millions of dollars from Libya for his successful presidential campaign in 2007. He denies the claims. Prosecutors requested a seven-year prison sentence. The verdict is expected in September. Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the Legion of Honor — France's highest distinction — after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in 1945 for treason and conspiring with the enemy for his actions as leader of Vichy France from 1940-1944. Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was stripped of his Legion of Honor award in the wake of widespread sexual misconduct allegations against him in 2017. Disgraced cyclist and former Tour de France star Lance Armstrong also had his French Legion of Honor award revoked. Sarkozy retired from public life in 2017 though still plays an influential role in French conservative politics.
