Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 15, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleNicolas Sarkozy loses his Legion of Honour following corruption conviction, marking a historic first for a former French president.
PARIS (Reuters) -Former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction, after being convicted of corruption and influence peddling last year, according to a decree published in Sunday's Official Bulletin.
The centre-right politician has been embroiled in legal battles since leaving office in 2012.
Last year, France's highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling, ordering him to wear an electronic tag for a year, a first for a former French head of state.
Also last year, an appeals court confirmed a separate conviction for illegal campaign financing in his failed re-election bid in 2012.
The rules of the Legion of Honour award meant that the revocation had been expected.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Gilles Guillaume; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Nicolas Sarkozy was stripped of his Legion of Honour after being convicted of corruption and influence peddling last year.
Since leaving office in 2012, Sarkozy has been embroiled in legal battles, including a conviction for illegal campaign financing.
As a consequence of his conviction, Sarkozy was ordered to wear an electronic tag for a year, marking a first for a former French head of state.
The revocation of the Legion of Honour was expected due to the rules governing the award, which stipulate that individuals convicted of serious crimes may lose their honors.
Last year, an appeals court confirmed a separate conviction for illegal campaign financing related to his failed re-election bid in 2012.
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