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While he was transported at the Parisian detention facility this week, Nicolas Sarkozy published a message filled with defiance via social media, writing, "This isn't a former president of the nation facing incarceration this morning, but rather an wrongfully accused individual." A court of appeal will eventually rule on the truthfulness of his claim. However, regrettably for Mr Sarkozy, the drama and importance of his fall cannot be ignored.

The Guilty Verdict

France's leader between 2007 and 2012, the former president was found guilty of unlawful plotting to secure illicit campaign funds from the government of the former Libyan ruler, Muammar Gaddafi. Handed a five-year sentence, he has emerged as the initial ex-head of an EU member state to enter prison, and the earliest French head of state since the shamed head of wartime France, Philippe Pétain. In a country where the democratically selected head of state enjoys a near-royal standing, the recent unprecedented scene was a seminal moment.

National Faith and Legal Consequences

At a time when faith in political institutions in France has declined drastically to the degree where the lights are flashing red, it was also a sobering reminder that everyone is subject to the law. According to a survey released this week, over 65% of those surveyed said that they believed a majority of government figures were dishonest, and nearly nine out of 10 claimed that the majority acted mainly out of individual benefit. When convicting Mr Sarkozy and directing that his sentence should begin without delay, the judge, Nathalie Gavarino, noted that she took into account both the extremely serious character of the violations and the fact that they were "likely to undermine public confidence."

Judicial Threats

Such reflections might be seen as ordinary, notably because that Mr Sarkozy has before been convicted in separate corruption cases. However the Sarkozy trial and its consequences have troublingly exposed the degree to which within the nation, as in various states, the legal system is endangered by a increasingly common disdain for courts and the try to influence of public opinion.

Following a populist playbook, an comprehensive and precise judicial procedure has been baselessly portrayed by Mr Sarkozy's supporters as a judicial plot and ideological revenge. After the verdict last month, the former president openly condemned his punishment as invalid and condemned the "animosity" with "no limits" that supposedly drove it. While prominent officials and backers from the traditional and radical have saturated public discourse and right-leaning media with the similar rhetoric, the judicial figure has received multiple threats.

Public Response

Reassuringly, the citizens does not appear to be buying it. Research following the judgment found clear majorities supporting both the handling of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his conviction. Yet the spectacle, and the naked attempt to damage the credibility of the judicial system, was in all likelihood just a trial run. Next year, Marine Le Pen's court petition against a judgment for diversion of electoral finances will occur. Should she lose it, the far-right National Rally leader will be excluded from running in the upcoming election.

Future Implications

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a dangerous time for the country's courts to handle. The former president could still be freed ahead of his next legal challenge, after an application by his lawyers. However the unfounded and damaging assaults on the court system throughout his case have set a damaging precedent.