Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been officially stripped of the prestigious Légion d’honneur, the country’s highest civilian distinction, following his criminal conviction for corruption and influence peddling.
The decision was published in France’s official government journal on Sunday.
Sarkozy, a center-right politician who served from 2007 to 2012, has been entangled in legal battles since leaving office. In December 2024, France’s highest appeals court upheld his 2021 conviction, which sentenced him to one year under electronic surveillance for illicitly attempting to influence a judge in a wiretapping case.
The original sentence, which included three years of prison time with two suspended, marked a historic precedent in modern French history — making Sarkozy the first former president to be sentenced to actual jail time for misconduct during his presidency.
Additionally, Sarkozy’s appeal against a separate conviction for illegal campaign financing was rejected in 2023. He had been found guilty of overspending during his failed 2012 re-election campaign.
Under the rules governing the *Légion d’honneur*, recipients convicted of serious crimes can be stripped of the award. The move aligns with the order’s tradition of maintaining the honor’s integrity.
Sarkozy is not the only French president to face legal trouble post-office. His predecessor Jacques Chirac was convicted in 2011 for misuse of public funds during his tenure as mayor of Paris, although he received a two-year suspended sentence.
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