The Former President's First Day in Prison: No Individual Is Above Legal Justice

While he made his way at La Santé prison this week, Nicolas Sarkozy published a statement brimming with opposition via social media, writing, "This isn't a ex-leader of the nation facing incarceration this morning, but rather an innocent man." The appeals judiciary will eventually give its view the truthfulness of that statement. However, regrettably for Mr Sarkozy, the turmoil and impact of his fall cannot be ignored.

The Guilty Verdict

France's leader between 2007 and 2012, the former president was convicted of criminal conspiracy to acquire illegal financing from the government of the late Libyan dictator, the Libyan strongman. Handed a five-year sentence, he has been recorded as the initial ex-head of an EU country to go behind bars, and the initial French president since the shamed head of wartime France, Philippe Pétain. Across France where the chosen leader enjoys a near-royal standing, Tuesday's extraordinary spectacle was a defining instance.

Citizen Confidence and Legal Consequences

During a period when trust in government bodies in France has plummeted to the degree where alarms are sounding, it was also a instructive example that the law applies to all. In a poll published this week, two-thirds of respondents indicated that they thought a large number of elected officials were unethical, and the vast majority reported that the majority behaved predominantly out of personal gain. In sentencing Mr Sarkozy and ordering that his incarceration should commence promptly, the judge, the judge, noted that she took into account both the exceptionally grave nature of the violations and the fact that they were "potentially erode the people's faith."

Judicial Threats

These considerations might be deemed typical, particularly since that Mr Sarkozy has previously been convicted in other graft trials. Yet the Sarkozy trial and its consequences have troublingly exposed the extent to which within the nation, as in different nations, the legal system is endangered by a increasingly common disdain for courts and the attempted manipulation of the popular view.

Following a populist playbook, an comprehensive and precise court case has been baselessly portrayed by Mr Sarkozy's supporters as a legal conspiracy and political retaliation. Subsequent to the decision recently, the ex-leader openly condemned his punishment as illegal and censured the "animosity" with "no restraints" that supposedly drove it. As high-ranking leaders and backers from the conservative and extremist have filled the airwaves and conservative press with the identical arguments, the judge has been subjected to multiple threats.

Public Response

Reassuringly, the citizens does not appear to be buying it. A survey after the ruling found clear majorities supporting both the handling of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his sentencing. However the turmoil, and the blatant effort to undermine the reputation of the court system, was most probably only a preliminary test. Next year, the far-right leader's court petition against a judgment for misuse of campaign money will be heard. If unsuccessful, the far-right National Rally leader will be ruled out from competing in the future campaign.

Long-term Effects

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a dangerous time for the national legal system to handle. Mr Sarkozy might eventually exit ahead of his next legal challenge, following a request by his attorneys. Yet the unfounded and damaging assaults on the judicial framework at all stages of his trial have set a damaging precedent.