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While he made his way at the Parisian detention facility this week, Nicolas Sarkozy shared a statement filled with opposition via social media, writing, "This isn't a ex-leader of the republic who is being jailed this morning, but rather an wrongfully accused individual." An appellate court is set to give its view the accuracy of his claim. But unfortunately for the ex-president, the turmoil and importance of his downfall cannot simply be wished away.

The Guilty Verdict

France's leader during the 2007-2012 term, the former president was found guilty of unlawful plotting to obtain prohibited donations from the government of the former Libyan ruler, Colonel Gaddafi. Sentenced to a half-decade incarceration, he has become the initial ex-head of an EU country to go behind bars, and the initial French president since the disgraced head of wartime France, the Vichy leader. Within a nation where the elected president holds a quasi-monarchical status, Tuesday's remarkable event was a defining instance.

National Faith and Legal Accountability

At a time when faith in political institutions in France has declined drastically to the extent where the lights are flashing red, it was also a salutary demonstration that everyone is subject to the law. According to a survey released this week, two-thirds of respondents stated that they thought a majority of government figures were corrupt, and almost 90% claimed that most behaved predominantly out of individual benefit. In sentencing the former president and ordering that his incarceration should commence promptly, the judge, the judge, declared that she factored in both the profoundly severe aspect of the offences and the fact that they were "could damage public confidence."

Courtroom Struggles

Such reflections might be considered unexceptional, notably because that Mr Sarkozy has previously been sentenced in other graft trials. However the former president's case and its consequences have troublingly exposed the degree to which within the nation, as in various states, the judicial framework is jeopardized by a increasingly common contempt for the judiciary and the attempted manipulation of public opinion.

Following a populist playbook, an thorough and detailed legal process has been baselessly portrayed by Mr Sarkozy's supporters as a judicial plot and ideological revenge. After the verdict in September, the former president openly condemned his judgment as illegal and decried the "hostility" with "no boundaries" that allegedly motivated it. Since senior politicians and supporters from the conservative and extremist have saturated public discourse and right-leaning media with the same talking points, Ms Gavarino has been subjected to multiple threats.

Public Response

Hearteningly, the public does not appear to be buying it. A post-verdict poll found significant majorities backing both the proceedings of the legal case and his sentencing. But the turmoil, and the naked attempt to damage the credibility of the legal system, was very likely merely a dress rehearsal. Next year, the far-right leader's appeal against a conviction for misuse of campaign money will be heard. If the appeal fails, the political candidate will be disqualified from competing in the upcoming election.

Coming Consequences

Across a fragmented and doubtful society, that will be a risky period for the national legal system to navigate. Mr Sarkozy might eventually exit ahead of his next legal challenge, subsequent to a petition by his legal team. Yet the reckless and unfounded criticisms on the judicial framework at all stages of his proceedings have established a harmful example.