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As he arrived at the Parisian detention facility this week, the former French leader posted a statement overflowing with opposition via social media, asserting, "It's not a ex-leader of the republic who is being jailed today, it's an innocent man." The appeals judiciary is set to decide regarding the accuracy of this assertion. Yet sadly for the ex-president, the turmoil and significance of his decline cannot simply be wished away.

The Guilty Verdict

France's leader between 2007 and 2012, Mr Sarkozy was found guilty of illegal collaboration to secure illegal financing from the administration of the late Libyan dictator, Colonel Gaddafi. Given a five-year prison term, he has become the first former leader of an EU member state to enter prison, and the earliest French head of state since the dishonored head of wartime France, the Vichy leader. Within a nation where the democratically selected head of state enjoys a quasi-monarchical status, this week's remarkable event was a defining instance.

Public Trust and Judicial Responsibility

At a time when confidence in political systems in France has collapsed to the point where the lights are flashing red, it was also a instructive example that the law applies to all. As per a study published recently, two-thirds of respondents said that they thought a majority of politicians were unethical, and nearly nine out of 10 said that most operated primarily out of personal gain. In sentencing the former president and ordering that his prison term should begin without delay, the judge, Nathalie Gavarino, declared that she took into account both the exceptionally grave nature of the violations and the fact that they were "could damage citizens' trust."

Courtroom Struggles

Those thoughts might be seen as ordinary, especially given that Mr Sarkozy has previously been found guilty in separate corruption cases. But the legal proceedings and its fallout have alarmingly revealed the extent to which across the country, as in different nations, the legal system is threatened by a increasingly common disdain for courts and the try to influence of the popular view.

Following a populist playbook, an comprehensive and precise judicial procedure has been groundlessly presented by his backers as a judicial plot and ideological revenge. Subsequent to the decision last month, the former president openly condemned his sentence as illegal and decried the "hostility" with "no limits" that supposedly drove it. As high-ranking leaders and supporters from the right and far right have filled the airwaves and right-leaning media with the similar rhetoric, Ms Gavarino has obtained various menaces.

Public Response

Hearteningly, the public seems unconvinced. Research following the judgment found comfortable majorities endorsing both the proceedings of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his punishment. Yet the spectacle, and the obvious try to weaken the standing of the legal system, was most probably just a trial run. During winter, the National Rally figure's legal challenge against a guilty verdict for embezzlement of political funds will occur. If the appeal fails, the far-right National Rally leader will be excluded from participating in the upcoming election.

Long-term Effects

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a dangerous time for the French judiciary to manage. Mr Sarkozy may yet be released before his own appeal, subsequent to a petition by his legal team. Yet the reckless and unfounded criticisms on the judicial framework throughout his trial have created a negative standard.