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While he made his way at the Parisian detention facility this week, the former French leader posted a declaration filled with defiance via social media, asserting, "It's not a ex-leader of the republic facing incarceration today, it's an wrongfully accused individual." A court of appeal will eventually rule on the veracity of his claim. Yet sadly for the ex-president, the spectacle and significance of his downfall cannot be ignored.

The Conviction

President of France between 2007 and 2012, the former president was found guilty of illegal collaboration to acquire illegal financing from the government of the former Libyan ruler, Muammar Gaddafi. Sentenced to a five-year sentence, he has emerged as the initial ex-head of an EU country to enter prison, and the first French leader since the shamed head of the Vichy regime, Marshal Pétain. In a country where the elected president enjoys a near-royal standing, this week's unprecedented scene was a seminal moment.

National Faith and Legal Consequences

In an era when trust in government bodies in France has collapsed to the point where the lights are flashing red, it was also a salutary demonstration that the law applies to all. According to a survey issued recently, two-thirds of respondents indicated that they felt a majority of politicians were unethical, and almost 90% reported that many behaved predominantly out of self-interest. In sentencing the former president and directing that his prison term should commence promptly, the court official, the judicial authority, declared that she factored in both the extremely serious character of the violations and the fact that they were "could damage citizens' trust."

Judicial Threats

Such reflections might be seen as ordinary, notably because that Mr Sarkozy has in the past been convicted in separate corruption cases. However the legal proceedings and its consequences have disturbingly laid bare the scope to which across the country, as in other countries, the rule of law is endangered by a newly fashionable contempt for the judiciary and the effort to control of the popular view.

In Trumpian fashion, an thorough and detailed legal process has been baselessly portrayed by the former president's allies as a legal conspiracy and ideological revenge. After the verdict in September, the former president publicly criticized his judgment as illegal and censured the "animosity" with "no restraints" that supposedly drove it. Since high-ranking leaders and backers from the traditional and radical have dominated media discussions and traditional outlets with the same talking points, the judicial figure has been subjected to multiple threats.

Citizen Reaction

Reassuringly, the public seems unconvinced. Research following the judgment found significant majorities supporting both the conduct of the courtroom process and his conviction. Yet the drama, and the obvious try to undermine the reputation of the court system, was in all likelihood just a trial run. During winter, the far-right leader's legal challenge against a conviction for embezzlement of political funds will take place. Should she lose it, the political candidate will be ruled out from running in the 2027 presidential race.

Coming Consequences

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a perilous moment for the national legal system to navigate. Mr Sarkozy could still be freed prior to his appeal hearing, subsequent to a petition by his attorneys. But the irresponsible and baseless attacks on the legal system throughout his trial have set a damaging precedent.