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While he arrived at La Santé prison this week, Nicolas Sarkozy published a statement filled with opposition via social media, stating, "This isn't a ex-leader of the nation facing incarceration today, but rather an innocent man." An appellate court is set to give its view the accuracy of this assertion. However, regrettably for the ex-president, the spectacle and impact of his fall cannot be ignored.

The Guilty Verdict

President of France from 2007 to 2012, the former president was convicted of unlawful plotting to acquire illicit campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator, the Libyan strongman. Handed a five-year sentence, he has become the first former leader of an European Union nation to be imprisoned, and the earliest French head of state since the dishonored head of wartime France, the Vichy leader. In a country where the democratically selected head of state possesses a almost king-like position, Tuesday's remarkable event was a defining instance.

Public Trust and Legal Consequences

At a time when confidence in political systems in France has collapsed to the extent where the lights are flashing red, it was also a instructive example that no one is above the law. In a poll published this week, two-thirds of respondents stated that they thought a majority of politicians were dishonest, and the vast majority reported that many behaved predominantly out of individual benefit. When convicting Mr Sarkozy and mandating that his incarceration should begin without delay, the judge, the judicial authority, declared that she factored in both the profoundly severe aspect of the crimes and the fact that they were "could damage public confidence."

Judicial Threats

These considerations might be seen as ordinary, notably because that the ex-president has before been sentenced in separate corruption cases. But the Sarkozy trial and its aftermath have troublingly exposed the degree to which across the country, as in various states, the legal system is threatened by a newly fashionable disdain for courts and the attempted manipulation of societal perspectives.

Following a populist playbook, an exhaustive and meticulous court case has been falsely depicted by Mr Sarkozy's supporters as a courtroom scheme and leftwing vendetta. Following the ruling last month, the former president openly condemned his sentence as invalid and censured the "hatred" with "no boundaries" that reportedly inspired it. As senior politicians and supporters from the conservative and extremist have filled the airwaves and right-leaning media with the identical arguments, Ms Gavarino has received various menaces.

Public Response

Encouragingly, the citizens largely rejects this narrative. A survey after the ruling found significant majorities endorsing both the proceedings of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his sentencing. However the turmoil, and the obvious try to undermine the reputation of the court system, was in all likelihood just a trial run. In January, the National Rally figure's court petition against a conviction for embezzlement of political funds will be heard. If the appeal fails, the far-right National Rally leader will be excluded from running in the upcoming election.

Future Implications

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a risky period for the national legal system to handle. The former president could still be freed prior to his appeal hearing, following a request by his lawyers. However the unfounded and damaging assaults on the legal system before, during and after his trial have established a harmful example.