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While he was transported at La Santé prison on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy shared a declaration filled with opposition via social media, writing, "It's not a former president of the nation facing incarceration today, but rather an wrongfully accused individual." A court of appeal will eventually decide regarding the veracity of this assertion. But unfortunately for Mr Sarkozy, the turmoil and importance of his fall cannot be ignored.

The Conviction

President of France during the 2007-2012 term, the former president was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to obtain illicit campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. Given a five-year sentence, he has emerged as the first former leader of an EU country to go behind bars, and the earliest French head of state since the disgraced head of the Vichy regime, Philippe Pétain. Across France where the elected president holds a quasi-monarchical status, the recent unprecedented scene was a historic occasion.

National Faith and Legal Consequences

In an era when trust in government bodies in France has plummeted to the point where alarms are sounding, it was also a instructive example that everyone is subject to the law. According to a survey issued this week, two-thirds of respondents stated that they felt a majority of government figures were corrupt, and almost 90% reported that the majority operated primarily out of self-interest. When convicting Mr Sarkozy and directing that his incarceration should begin without delay, the presiding magistrate, Nathalie Gavarino, said that she considered both the extremely serious character of the violations and the fact that they were "could damage public confidence."

Courtroom Struggles

Those thoughts might be considered unexceptional, notably because that the ex-president has previously been found guilty in other graft trials. But the Sarkozy trial and its fallout have disturbingly laid bare the degree to which within the nation, as in different nations, the judicial framework is endangered by a newly fashionable disrespect toward legal institutions and the effort to control of public opinion.

In Trumpian fashion, an comprehensive and precise judicial procedure has been groundlessly presented by the former president's allies as a courtroom scheme and political retaliation. After the verdict last month, the former president openly condemned his sentence as invalid and condemned the "hostility" with "no restraints" that reportedly inspired it. While prominent officials and advocates from the right and far right have saturated public discourse and right-leaning media with the similar rhetoric, the judge has obtained various menaces.

Societal Feedback

Encouragingly, the public largely rejects this narrative. A survey after the ruling found comfortable majorities supporting both the handling of the legal case and his conviction. But the turmoil, and the blatant effort to weaken the standing of the legal system, was most probably merely a dress rehearsal. Next year, Marine Le Pen's court petition against a guilty verdict for embezzlement of political funds will occur. Should she lose it, the political candidate will be excluded from running in the upcoming election.

Long-term Effects

In a polarised and mistrustful nation, that will be a risky period for the country's courts to handle. The former president might eventually exit prior to his appeal hearing, following a request by his lawyers. Yet the unfounded and damaging assaults on the judicial framework before, during and after his case have created a negative standard.