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As he arrived at La Santé prison this week, the former French leader published a message filled with resistance via social media, asserting, "It's not a ex-leader of the nation who is being jailed this morning, but rather an wrongfully accused individual." A court of appeal will in time rule on the veracity of this assertion. But unfortunately for Mr Sarkozy, the spectacle and significance of his decline cannot simply be wished away.

The Conviction

President of France from 2007 to 2012, the former president was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to obtain prohibited donations from the regime of the deceased Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Given a half-decade incarceration, 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, Marshal Pétain. Across France where the elected president possesses a almost king-like position, this week's remarkable event was a historic occasion.

National Faith and Judicial Responsibility

In an era when trust in government bodies in France has plummeted to the degree where the lights are flashing red, it was also a salutary demonstration that no one is above the law. According to a survey issued this week, a majority of participants stated that they felt a majority of politicians were unethical, and almost 90% said that many acted mainly out of self-interest. When convicting the former president and mandating that his incarceration should commence promptly, the court official, Nathalie Gavarino, said that she took into account both the extremely serious character of the violations and the fact that they were "could damage citizens' trust."

Legal Challenges

Those thoughts might be deemed typical, particularly since that Mr Sarkozy has before been found guilty in separate corruption cases. But the legal proceedings and its aftermath have troublingly exposed the extent to which within the nation, as in other countries, the rule of law is threatened by a recently popular contempt for the judiciary and the attempted manipulation of societal perspectives.

In Trumpian fashion, an thorough and detailed court case has been baselessly portrayed by Mr Sarkozy's supporters as a legal conspiracy and ideological revenge. After the verdict in September, the ex-leader publicly criticized his sentence as unlawful and condemned the "hatred" with "no boundaries" that allegedly motivated it. Since high-ranking leaders and backers from the right and far right have filled the airwaves and traditional outlets with the similar rhetoric, Ms Gavarino has been subjected to various menaces.

Public Response

Reassuringly, the public largely rejects this narrative. A post-verdict poll found comfortable majorities backing both the handling of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his sentencing. But the drama, and the obvious try to undermine the reputation of the legal system, was most probably merely a dress rehearsal. During winter, Marine Le Pen's legal challenge against a judgment for embezzlement of political funds will take place. If unsuccessful, the conservative figure will be ruled out 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. Mr Sarkozy could still be freed ahead of his next legal challenge, following a request by his lawyers. But the unfounded and damaging assaults on the judicial framework throughout his trial have established a harmful example.