On December 13, Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in prison, two of which were suspended and one year under an electronic bracelet, for corruption and influence peddling in the wiretapping affair. The former president denounced this decision as an “injustice” and announced his intention to refer the matter to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Beyond the legal implications, this conviction could have repercussions on his Legion of Honor.
According to article R91 of the Code of the Legion of Honor, “the following are excluded from the order: people convicted of crimes; those sentenced to a non-suspended prison sentence of one year or more.” This provision directly concerns Nicolas Sarkozy, who meets this condition with his one-year prison sentence.
A decision in the hands of the Élysée
Article R106 specifies that the exclusion or suspension of the Legion of Honor must be pronounced by presidential decree. Such a decision, taken by Emmanuel Macron, would be published in the Official Journal. Furthermore, according to article R110, exclusion results in the definitive withdrawal of the right to wear the insignia of any decoration relating to the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honor.
Nicolas Sarkozy soon under electronic bracelet
The Court of Cassation has just confirmed the conviction of Nicolas Sarkozy in the Bismuth affair. For the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, a former head of state is sentenced to a harsh sentence
