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While he was transported at La Santé prison on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy shared a statement brimming with opposition via social media, asserting, "This isn't a former president of the nation entering prison today, it's an innocent man." An appellate court will eventually decide regarding the accuracy of his claim. However, regrettably for the ex-president, the spectacle and importance of his downfall cannot be ignored.

The Guilty Verdict

President of France from 2007 to 2012, Mr Sarkozy was judged culpable of criminal conspiracy to obtain illegal financing from the administration of the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. Given a five-year prison term, he has become the first former leader of an European Union nation to enter prison, and the first French leader since the dishonored head of wartime France, Philippe Pétain. Across France where the democratically selected head of state holds a quasi-monarchical status, Tuesday's extraordinary spectacle was a defining instance.

National Faith and Judicial Responsibility

During a period when confidence in political systems in France has declined drastically to the extent where the lights are flashing red, it was also a instructive example that everyone is subject to the law. According to a survey published recently, a majority of participants stated that they thought a most of government figures were corrupt, and almost 90% said that the majority operated primarily out of self-interest. While judging Mr Sarkozy and ordering that his incarceration should commence promptly, the court official, the judge, said that she factored in both the exceptionally grave nature of the crimes and the fact that they were "could damage public confidence."

Judicial Threats

Those thoughts might be considered unexceptional, notably because that the ex-president has before been sentenced in separate corruption cases. However the Sarkozy trial and its aftermath have alarmingly revealed the degree to which in France, as in various states, the judicial framework is threatened by a newly fashionable contempt for the judiciary and the effort to control of societal perspectives.

Following a populist playbook, an thorough and detailed legal process has been groundlessly presented by the former president's allies as a courtroom scheme and political retaliation. Subsequent to the decision last month, the ex-leader openly condemned his sentence as unlawful and condemned the "hatred" with "no boundaries" that allegedly motivated it. As high-ranking leaders and advocates from the traditional and radical have saturated public discourse and traditional outlets with the identical arguments, the judicial figure has obtained various menaces.

Citizen Reaction

Hearteningly, the citizens seems unconvinced. A post-verdict poll found clear majorities backing both the proceedings of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his punishment. Yet the spectacle, and the obvious try to undermine the reputation of the judicial system, was very likely just a trial run. Next year, the National Rally figure's court petition against a judgment for embezzlement of political funds will take place. Should she lose it, the political candidate will be excluded from competing in the upcoming election.

Long-term Effects

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a dangerous time for the French judiciary to navigate. Mr Sarkozy may yet be released prior to his appeal hearing, after an application by his lawyers. Yet the unfounded and damaging assaults on the judicial framework at all stages of his case have created a negative standard.