🔗 Share this article

While he arrived at La Santé prison on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy posted a message overflowing with opposition via social media, asserting, "This isn't a former president of the republic who is being jailed today, it's an wrongfully accused individual." An appellate court is set to rule on the veracity of that statement. Yet sadly for Mr Sarkozy, the spectacle and importance of his decline cannot be dismissed.

The Conviction

President of France from 2007 to 2012, Mr Sarkozy was found guilty of illegal collaboration to acquire prohibited donations from the regime of the former Libyan ruler, Colonel Gaddafi. Given a five-year prison term, he has been recorded as the first former leader of an EU member state to enter prison, and the first French leader since the shamed head of Vichy France, the Vichy leader. In a country where the democratically selected head of state holds a almost king-like position, this week's extraordinary spectacle was a historic occasion.

National Faith and Legal Consequences

At a time when faith in political institutions in France has plummeted to the point where warning signs are evident, it was also a salutary demonstration that the law applies to all. As per a study issued recently, a majority of participants stated that they thought a most of politicians were corrupt, and the vast majority reported that the majority behaved predominantly out of self-interest. In sentencing Mr Sarkozy and ordering that his prison term should start immediately, the judge, the judicial authority, declared that she took into account both the extremely serious character of the violations and the fact that they were "likely to undermine the people's faith."

Legal Challenges

Those thoughts might be considered unexceptional, particularly since that Mr Sarkozy has previously been sentenced in other graft trials. But the legal proceedings and its aftermath have alarmingly revealed the scope to which across the country, as in various states, the rule of law is threatened by a newly fashionable disrespect toward legal institutions and the attempted manipulation of the popular view.

Following a populist playbook, an comprehensive and precise court case has been groundlessly presented by his backers as a judicial plot and ideological revenge. After the verdict recently, the former president openly condemned his judgment as unlawful and decried the "hatred" with "no boundaries" that reportedly inspired it. While senior politicians and advocates from the conservative and extremist have saturated public discourse and right-leaning media with the similar rhetoric, Ms Gavarino has received various menaces.

Public Response

Hearteningly, the population seems unconvinced. Research following the judgment found significant majorities backing both the handling of the legal case and his punishment. However the turmoil, and the naked attempt to weaken the standing of the court system, was most probably just a trial run. During winter, Marine Le Pen's legal challenge against a guilty verdict for embezzlement of political funds will occur. If unsuccessful, the far-right National Rally leader will be ruled out from participating in the future campaign.

Coming Consequences

Across a fragmented and doubtful society, that will be a risky period for the country's courts to manage. Mr Sarkozy could still be freed before his own appeal, after an application by his legal team. However the unfounded and damaging assaults on the judicial framework before, during and after his case have created a negative standard.