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While he made his way at La Santé prison on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy shared a declaration overflowing with opposition via social media, asserting, "This isn't a ex-leader of the republic who is being jailed today, it's an innocent man." An appellate court will eventually decide regarding the veracity of his claim. Yet sadly for Mr Sarkozy, the drama and importance of his decline cannot be ignored.

The Guilty Verdict

The French head of state from 2007 to 2012, Mr Sarkozy was judged culpable of unlawful plotting to secure illegal financing from the regime of the deceased Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi. Given a five-year prison term, he has emerged as the first former leader of an EU member state to enter prison, and the first French leader since the disgraced head of wartime France, Philippe Pétain. In a country where the democratically selected head of state enjoys a quasi-monarchical status, this week's extraordinary spectacle was a historic occasion.

Citizen Confidence and Legal Consequences

At a time when trust in government bodies in France has declined drastically to the extent where the lights are flashing red, it was also a instructive example that everyone is subject to the law. In a poll published this week, a majority of participants indicated that they felt a large number of government figures were unethical, and the vast majority said that the majority operated primarily out of personal gain. While judging the former president and directing that his sentence should commence promptly, the court official, the judicial authority, said that she considered both the exceptionally grave nature of the crimes and the fact that they were "could damage public confidence."

Courtroom Struggles

Such reflections might be deemed typical, notably because that Mr Sarkozy has before been convicted in distinct bribery proceedings. However the Sarkozy trial and its aftermath have troublingly exposed the scope to which in France, as in other countries, the rule of law is jeopardized by a recently popular disrespect toward legal institutions and the attempted manipulation of public opinion.

Following a populist playbook, an exhaustive and meticulous court case has been falsely depicted by the former president's allies as a legal conspiracy and ideological revenge. Subsequent to the decision recently, the ex-leader openly condemned his punishment as invalid and decried the "animosity" with "no limits" that supposedly drove it. Since senior politicians and advocates from the conservative and extremist have dominated media discussions and right-leaning media with the identical arguments, the judge has been subjected to multiple threats.

Societal Feedback

Reassuringly, the citizens does not appear to be buying it. Research following the judgment found significant majorities backing both the handling of the legal case and his conviction. Yet the drama, and the blatant effort to weaken the standing of the legal system, was most probably only a preliminary test. During winter, the far-right leader's appeal against a judgment for embezzlement of political funds will be heard. If unsuccessful, the conservative figure will be disqualified from competing in the upcoming election.

Future Implications

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a perilous moment for the country's courts to handle. The former president might eventually exit ahead of his next legal challenge, subsequent to a petition by his legal team. Yet the reckless and unfounded criticisms on the court system at all stages of his proceedings have established a harmful example.