French president Emmanuel Macron says he is opposed to stripping former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy of France's top honour despite the definitive conviction of the right-winger last year on charges of influence-peddling and corruption, reports Yahoo! News.
Sarkozy, in an unprecedented punishment for a former head of state, is now wearing an electronic ankle tag after France's Court of Cassation in December upheld a verdict for him to serve a one-year term outside of prison with the GPS device.
The combative ex-president ruled France from 2007-2012 but failed to win a second mandate in a devastating election defeat to Socialist Francois Hollande and then became embroiled in a string of legal problems.
There had been speculation Sarkozy could lose his Legion of Honour award but Macron, who as head of state is the grand master of the decoration and would have a final say, said he respected Sarkozy and would oppose such a move.
"I think it is very important that former presidents are respected," he said on the sidelines of a trip to Madagascar, adding he believed "it would not be a good decision" to strip Sarkozy of the award.