Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who led the country from 2007 to 2012, has been stripped of his “Legion of Honour” medal, following his criminal conviction, according to a decree made public on Sunday.
Sarkozy becomes the second French head of state to lose the country’s highest distinction after Philippe Pétain, leader of the Vichy regime during World War II, who was convicted of treason and Nazi collaboration in August 1945.
This long-awaited decision comes despite current President Emmanuel Macron stating in April that he believes it is important to “respect former presidents.”
Why was Sarkozy stripped of the medal?
The “LĂ©gion d’honneur”, France’s highest civil and military award, was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
According to the award’s statutes, any recipient automatically loses it upon being convicted of a crime or sentenced to at least one year in prison.
