Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy lost his Legion of Honor medal after being found guilty of corruption and influence peddling during his presidency last year.
The decision was taken through a decree published in the Journal Officiel, which houses the government's key legal information.
This action complies with the norms of the Legion of Honor.
The conservative politician, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, has found himself at the center of a series of lawsuits since completing his term.
In 2021, a Paris court and then an appeals court in 2023 found him guilty of corruption and trading in influence for attempting to bribe a magistrate in exchange for information about a court case in which he was involved.
He was sentenced to wear an electronic tracking bracelet for one year. In December, France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, upheld the sentence.
Earlier this year, Sarkozy went on trial on charges of accepting millions of dollars from Libya for his successful 2007 presidential campaign.
He denies these accusations.
Prosecutors asked for a sentence of seven years in prison.
The decision is expected to be made in September.
Sarkozy became the second former head of state to lose the Legion of Honor, France's highest decoration, after Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain, who was convicted in 1945 of treason and collusion with the enemy for his actions as leader of Vichy France from 1940 to 1944.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
