🔗 Share this article

While he was transported at the Parisian detention facility on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy published a declaration brimming with defiance via social media, asserting, "It's not a ex-leader of the republic facing incarceration this morning, but rather an wrongfully accused individual." The appeals judiciary will eventually give its view the accuracy of his claim. However, regrettably for the ex-president, the turmoil and significance of his downfall cannot simply be wished away.

The Guilty Verdict

France's leader between 2007 and 2012, Mr Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to obtain illegal financing from the government of the former Libyan ruler, the Libyan strongman. Sentenced to a five-year sentence, he has become the first former leader of an EU member state to enter prison, and the earliest French head of state since the shamed head of the Vichy regime, Marshal Pétain. In a country where the democratically selected head of state holds a near-royal standing, Tuesday's remarkable event was a historic occasion.

National Faith and Legal Consequences

During a period when confidence in political systems in France has declined drastically to the degree where the lights are flashing red, it was also a salutary demonstration that the law applies to all. As per a study issued recently, two-thirds of respondents stated that they believed a large number of elected officials were dishonest, and nearly nine out of 10 reported that many operated primarily out of personal gain. When convicting Mr Sarkozy and ordering that his sentence should start immediately, the court official, Nathalie Gavarino, noted that she considered both the extremely serious character of the offences and the fact that they were "potentially erode public confidence."

Judicial Threats

Such reflections might be considered unexceptional, especially given that Mr Sarkozy has in the past been found guilty in other graft trials. However the legal proceedings and its consequences have alarmingly revealed the extent to which in France, as in various states, the rule of law is endangered by a recently popular disrespect toward legal institutions and the attempted manipulation of the popular view.

Using divisive tactics, an comprehensive and precise court case has been falsely depicted by his backers as a legal conspiracy and ideological revenge. Following the ruling in September, the ex-leader effectively denounced his judgment as illegal and decried the "animosity" with "no limits" that allegedly motivated it. As senior politicians and backers from the right and far right have filled the airwaves and right-leaning media with the identical arguments, the judicial figure has received numerous death threats.

Societal Feedback

Hearteningly, the population seems unconvinced. A survey after the ruling found comfortable majorities endorsing both the proceedings of the legal case and his sentencing. Yet the turmoil, and the blatant effort to undermine the reputation of the legal system, was in all likelihood only a preliminary test. In January, the far-right leader's appeal against a conviction for diversion of electoral finances will be heard. If the appeal fails, the conservative figure will be disqualified from participating in the future campaign.

Future Implications

Across a fragmented and doubtful society, that will be a risky period for the French judiciary to handle. The former president might eventually exit before his own appeal, subsequent to a petition by his legal team. But the unfounded and damaging assaults on the legal system before, during and after his trial have set a damaging precedent.