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As he made his way at La Santé prison this week, Nicolas Sarkozy shared a statement brimming with defiance via social media, asserting, "It's not a former president of the nation facing incarceration this morning, but rather an innocent man." A court of appeal will in time give its view the veracity of that statement. Yet sadly for the ex-president, the spectacle and significance of his fall cannot simply be wished away.

The Conviction

France's leader from 2007 to 2012, the former president was found guilty of illegal collaboration to acquire illicit campaign funds from the administration of the deceased Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Given a five-year sentence, he has emerged as the initial ex-head of an European Union nation to enter prison, and the first French leader since the dishonored head of wartime France, Marshal Pétain. Within a nation where the chosen leader holds a almost king-like position, this week's remarkable event was a defining instance.

National Faith and Legal Accountability

During a period when trust in government bodies in France has collapsed to the extent where the lights are flashing red, it was also a instructive example that the law applies to all. In a poll published recently, over 65% of those surveyed stated that they thought a majority of politicians were dishonest, and almost 90% claimed that the majority behaved predominantly out of individual benefit. When convicting the former president and ordering that his incarceration should begin without delay, the court official, the judicial authority, declared that she factored in both the exceptionally grave nature of the crimes and the fact that they were "potentially erode the people's faith."

Legal Challenges

Such reflections might be deemed typical, especially given that the ex-president has before been found guilty in other graft trials. Yet the legal proceedings and its aftermath have alarmingly revealed the degree to which in France, as in various states, the rule of law is jeopardized by a increasingly common contempt for the judiciary and the try to influence of societal perspectives.

In Trumpian fashion, an thorough and detailed legal process has been baselessly portrayed by his backers as a judicial plot and political retaliation. Subsequent to the decision recently, the former president publicly criticized his punishment as invalid and condemned the "hatred" with "no boundaries" that allegedly motivated it. Since high-ranking leaders and supporters from the traditional and radical have dominated media discussions and traditional outlets with the similar rhetoric, Ms Gavarino has obtained numerous death threats.

Citizen Reaction

Encouragingly, the public largely rejects this narrative. A survey after the ruling found comfortable majorities endorsing both the proceedings of the courtroom process and his sentencing. Yet the drama, and the naked attempt to damage the credibility of the court system, was in all likelihood just a trial run. Next year, the National Rally figure's appeal against a judgment for misuse of campaign money will be heard. If unsuccessful, the conservative figure will be ruled out from competing in the future campaign.

Coming Consequences

In a polarised and mistrustful nation, that will be a risky period for the national legal system to handle. The former president could still be freed before his own appeal, following a request by his legal team. However the unfounded and damaging assaults on the court system before, during and after his case have established a harmful example.