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While he arrived at the Parisian detention facility this week, the former French leader posted a declaration brimming with defiance via social media, stating, "This isn't a former president of the nation facing incarceration today, it's an wrongfully accused individual." The appeals judiciary will eventually give its view the accuracy of that statement. Yet sadly for the ex-president, the turmoil and impact of his decline cannot be dismissed.

The Conviction

The French head of state from 2007 to 2012, Mr Sarkozy was convicted of illegal collaboration to secure prohibited donations from the regime of the former Libyan ruler, Muammar Gaddafi. Handed a half-decade incarceration, he has been recorded as the pioneering past president of an European Union nation to enter prison, and the initial French president since the dishonored head of the Vichy regime, the Vichy leader. Across France where the democratically selected head of state enjoys a quasi-monarchical status, this week's unprecedented scene was a defining instance.

National Faith and Legal Consequences

During a period when faith in political institutions in France has collapsed to the point where warning signs are evident, it was also a sobering reminder that the law applies to all. In a poll released this week, a majority of participants said that they believed a large number of politicians were corrupt, and almost 90% said that most operated primarily out of personal gain. While judging the former president and directing that his incarceration should commence promptly, the judge, the judicial authority, said that she considered both the exceptionally grave nature of the crimes and the fact that they were "likely to undermine the people's faith."

Judicial Threats

Such reflections might be considered unexceptional, notably because that the ex-president has before been convicted in other graft trials. However the Sarkozy trial and its aftermath have alarmingly revealed the scope to which in France, as in different nations, the judicial framework is threatened by a newly fashionable disdain for courts and the attempted manipulation of public opinion.

In Trumpian fashion, an thorough and detailed court case has been groundlessly presented by the former president's allies as a judicial plot and ideological revenge. After the verdict in September, the ex-leader effectively denounced his punishment as unlawful and condemned the "hatred" with "no limits" that reportedly inspired it. As high-ranking leaders and advocates from the right and far right have filled the airwaves and conservative press with the identical arguments, the judicial figure has been subjected to numerous death threats.

Societal Feedback

Encouragingly, the public largely rejects this narrative. A survey after the ruling found clear majorities backing both the proceedings of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his punishment. Yet the spectacle, and the obvious try 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 judgment for diversion of electoral finances will take place. Should she lose it, the political candidate will be disqualified from participating in the future campaign.

Long-term Effects

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a dangerous time for the French judiciary to navigate. The former president might eventually exit before his own appeal, following a request by his lawyers. But the irresponsible and baseless attacks on the legal system before, during and after his case have created a negative standard.