National Order of the Leopard

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National Order of the Leopard
Commander cross of the Order, second type (Republic of Zaire)
Awarded by  Democratic Republic of the Congo
Type	Order
Status	Discontinued
Sovereign	President
Grades	Grand Cordon Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Ribbon bar of the order (DR Congo) Ribbon bar of the order (Zaire)

The National Order of the Leopard (French: Ordre national du Léopard) was the highest honorific decoration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1966 until 2002 when it was discontinued and replaced by the Order of the National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba. It was instituted on 24 May 1966 in the Ordinance-law Number 66-330 by President Joseph-Désiré Mobutu.^{[citation needed]} It rewarded the high military or civil merits rendered in the Congo.

The President of the Congo was the Grand Chancellor of the Order. Its administration was in the care of the Chancellor.

Ranks

The National Order of the Leopard was composed of five grades :

• Grand Cordon
• Grand Officer
• Commander
• Officer
• Knight

Notable recipients

Grand Cordons

• Emperor Akihito
• Maria Barroso
• Jean-Bédel Bokassa
• Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
• Elizabeth II (1973)
• Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1973)
• Juan Carlos I of Spain^{[citation needed]}
• Isaac Kalonji
• Jules Fontaine Sambwa
• Haile Selassie
• Queen Sofía of Spain^{[citation needed]}
• Kim Il Sung (1992)
• Kim Jong Il (1992)

Grand Officers

• Georges Forrest
• Paul Muhona

Commanders

• Fernand Kazadi Lupelekese
• Hugh Wontner
• Yosia Bulo Butso

Officers

• Peter Piot
• Robin Gillett

Knights

• Jean Ruhigita Ndagora Bugwika
• Raymond Dekkers

Unknown Classes

• Médard Autsai Asenga
• Jean Bolikango
• Robin Gillett
• Jean-Pierre Hallet
• Hosni Mubarak
• Ndaye Mulamba

References

1. ^ "LOI 009-2002 du 5 août 2002 portant création de l'ordre national «Héros nationaux». (Présidence de la République)". leganet.cd (in French). Retrieved 8 February 2023.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Gifts, Awards for Kim Chong-il, Kim Il-song Noted". Daily Report: East Asia, Issues 242-252. The Service. 1992 . p. 22. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)