Nicolas Sarkozy stripped of Legion of Honour over corruption conviction

Former French president loses country's highest state award despite Emmanuel Macron's opposition to move

The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour, the country's highest distinction, after his conviction for corruption was confirmed last year, according to an official decree published on Sunday.

The conservative one-term president has been beset by legal problems since leaving office in 2012. In December France's highest court upheld his conviction for influence peddling and corruption, ordering him to wear an electronic ankle tag for 12 months.