Group 1 - Former French President Sarkozy has been stripped of the Legion of Honor and other honors due to a final conviction for corruption, marking him as the second former head of state to lose this honor since 1945 [1][3] - The decision was signed by François Lecointre, the head of the Legion of Honor, and is based on regulations that mandate automatic revocation of honors for anyone sentenced to over one year in prison [3] - President Macron expressed his disapproval of the decision, emphasizing the importance of respecting former presidents, but acknowledged that current laws do not allow him to intervene in this case [3] Group 2 - Sarkozy was convicted in December 2022 for corruption and influence peddling related to illegal funding from Liliane Bettencourt during his 2007 presidential campaign, receiving a sentence of three years, including one year of actual imprisonment [3] - The case is still under appeal at the European Court of Human Rights, with Sarkozy's lawyers hoping for a reversal of the conviction, which would also affect the revocation of his honors [3][4] - In addition to the corruption case, Sarkozy faces another legal challenge regarding alleged illegal funding from Libyan leader Gaddafi during the 2007 campaign, with a verdict expected by the end of September [4]