They file a legal appeal for the withdrawal of the Legion of Honor from Nicolas Sarkozy

Nearly five months after the sentence, a new procedure is targeting the former head of state, who has been serving a three-year prison sentence, including one year in prison, since the rejection in mid-December of his appeal in the so-called wiretapping case.

"This conviction is final (...), therefore the withdrawal of the Legion of Honour is a right," emphasizes lawyer Julien Bayou - former leader of the environmentalist party EELV - in his appeal filed on behalf of five people (including his own sister), all children or grandchildren of holders of this decoration as well as of the Order of Merit.

The Grand Chancellor and the Council of the Order of the Legion of Honour "should have issued a decree" to this effect "but they did not do so" , Mr Bayou explained to AFP, arguing that the usual deadline for this type of decision "has been largely exceeded".

Faced with what they describe as an "implicit refusal" , the applicants are therefore asking the administrative courts to remind the institution responsible for the Legion of Honour and the Order of Merit of its duty.

It is also a way of circumventing pressure on a highly political case, after the current president, Emmanuel Macron - Grand Master of the Legion of Honour, by virtue of his position - took a position in favour of his predecessor, stating at the end of April that withdrawing Mr Sarkozy's decoration "would not be a good decision".

While waiting for a possible hearing before the administrative court or the Council of State, probably not for several months, Mr. Bayou does not, however, rule out the possibility that the institution "will end up making the necessary decision."