PARIS, June 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour -- the country's highest distinction -- following a conviction for graft, according to a decree published Sunday.

The right-wing ex-president ruled France from 2007-2012 and has been beset by legal problems since leaving office following a bruising presidential election defeat.

An appeals court last year upheld his conviction for illegal attempts to secure favours from a judge and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle bracelet instead of serving a one-year jail sentence.

The decision to revoke his award had since been expected, according to the rules of the order, despite current French President Emmanuel Macron saying he was opposed to the move.

Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the award after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in August 1945 for high treason and conspiring with the enemy.

Sarkozy, whose electronic tag was removed this month, is using his last remaining legal avenue, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, to defend himself against the conviction.

He is currently on trial in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The court is to give a verdict in September with prosecutors asking for a seven-year prison term for Sarkozy, who denies the charges.

Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly meet with Macron.