🔗 Share this article

While he arrived at La Santé prison this week, the former French leader posted a statement overflowing with resistance via social media, stating, "It's not a ex-leader of the republic facing incarceration this morning, it's an wrongfully accused individual." A court of appeal will in time rule on the truthfulness of his claim. Yet sadly for Mr Sarkozy, the drama and importance of his downfall cannot be dismissed.

The Conviction

France's leader between 2007 and 2012, the former president was found guilty of unlawful plotting to acquire illegal financing from the administration of the late Libyan dictator, Colonel Gaddafi. Given a five-year sentence, he has been recorded as the initial ex-head of an EU country to be imprisoned, and the first French leader since the dishonored head of the Vichy regime, Marshal Pétain. Within a nation where the democratically selected head of state holds a near-royal standing, Tuesday's extraordinary spectacle was a seminal moment.

National Faith and Legal Accountability

During a period when faith in political institutions in France has declined drastically to the extent where alarms are sounding, it was also a sobering reminder that the law applies to all. In a poll published recently, two-thirds of respondents indicated that they felt a large number of government figures were corrupt, and the vast majority reported that many acted mainly out of individual benefit. While judging the former president and mandating that his incarceration should begin without delay, the judge, the judicial authority, noted that she took into account both the extremely serious character of the offences and the fact that they were "could damage citizens' trust."

Judicial Threats

These considerations might be seen as ordinary, especially given that the ex-president has before been found guilty in other graft trials. However the former president's case and its fallout have disturbingly laid bare the degree to which within the nation, as in various states, the judicial framework is jeopardized by a increasingly common disrespect toward legal institutions and the attempted manipulation of the popular view.

Using divisive tactics, an thorough and detailed court case has been falsely depicted by his backers as a courtroom scheme and leftwing vendetta. Subsequent to the decision recently, the former president effectively denounced his judgment as invalid and condemned the "hatred" with "no restraints" that allegedly motivated it. As prominent officials and backers from the traditional and radical have filled the airwaves and traditional outlets with the identical arguments, the judge has received multiple threats.

Public Response

Reassuringly, the population seems unconvinced. A survey after the ruling found significant majorities backing both the proceedings of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his punishment. But the turmoil, and the obvious try to damage the credibility of the court system, was most probably just a trial run. In January, the far-right leader's legal challenge against a conviction for diversion of electoral finances will be heard. Should she lose it, the political candidate will be disqualified from participating in the upcoming election.

Long-term Effects

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a perilous moment for the country's courts to manage. The former president may yet be released before his own appeal, subsequent to a petition by his legal team. But the unfounded and damaging assaults on the legal system at all stages of his trial have established a harmful example.