Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honour
The decision was made public via a decree released in the Journal Officiel that publishes the government's major legal information. It aligns with the rules of the Legion of Honour.
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 that he received milions 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 Honour — 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 Honour 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 Honour award revoked.
Sarkozy retired from public life in 2017 but still plays an influential role in French conservative politics.
Local Ukrainian media quoted Ukrainian authorities on Sunday morning reporting another massive aerial attack, involving drones, artillery and missiles, among them the hypersonic Khinzal, as well as Iskander and Kalibr cruise missiles.
In the southern city of Kherson, one person was killed and another injured, Kherson Oblast administration reported. The main target was the city of Kremenchuk in Poltava Oblast. There were no reported casualties but energy and agricultural facilities were hit by debris.
Of the nearly 200 weapons, the Ukrainian air force reported 111 drones downed with a further 48 diverted, and two Kinzhal, three Iskander-K and three Kalibr missiles shot down.
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