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As he arrived at the Parisian detention facility on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy shared a message overflowing with defiance via social media, writing, "This isn't a former president of the nation facing incarceration this morning, but rather an innocent man." The appeals judiciary will eventually rule on the accuracy of his claim. But unfortunately for Mr Sarkozy, the drama and significance of his fall cannot be dismissed.

The Guilty Verdict

France's leader from 2007 to 2012, the former president was judged culpable of illegal collaboration to secure illicit campaign funds from the government of the former Libyan ruler, the Libyan strongman. Handed a five-year prison term, he has become the pioneering past president of an European Union nation to enter prison, and the initial French president since the shamed head of the Vichy regime, the Vichy leader. In a country where the elected president holds a near-royal standing, the recent remarkable event was a seminal moment.

Public Trust and Judicial Responsibility

During a period when confidence in political systems in France has collapsed to the degree where the lights are flashing red, it was also a instructive example that everyone is subject to the law. In a poll published recently, a majority of participants said that they thought a majority of elected officials were dishonest, and nearly nine out of 10 reported that most acted mainly out of individual benefit. In sentencing the former president and mandating that his sentence should start immediately, the presiding magistrate, the judge, declared that she took into account both the exceptionally grave nature of the offences and the fact that they were "likely to undermine citizens' trust."

Courtroom Struggles

These considerations might be deemed typical, especially given that Mr Sarkozy has before been sentenced in separate corruption cases. But the legal proceedings and its consequences have troublingly exposed the extent to which across the country, as in other countries, the legal system is threatened by a increasingly common disdain for courts and the try to influence of societal perspectives.

Using divisive tactics, an thorough and detailed legal process has been baselessly portrayed by his backers as a legal conspiracy and leftwing vendetta. Following the ruling recently, the ex-leader openly condemned his sentence as unlawful and censured the "hatred" with "no boundaries" that supposedly drove it. As high-ranking leaders and backers from the right and far right have saturated public discourse and traditional outlets with the same talking points, the judge has been subjected to numerous death threats.

Public Response

Reassuringly, the citizens does not appear to be buying it. Research following the judgment found comfortable majorities backing both the proceedings of the legal case and his punishment. Yet the drama, and the naked attempt to weaken the standing of the legal system, was in all likelihood merely a dress rehearsal. Next year, Marine Le Pen's legal challenge against a conviction for diversion of electoral finances will occur. If the appeal fails, the conservative figure will be disqualified from competing in the future campaign.

Long-term Effects

In a polarised and mistrustful nation, that will be a dangerous time for the national legal system to handle. Mr Sarkozy may yet be released ahead of his next legal challenge, subsequent to a petition by his attorneys. However the irresponsible and baseless attacks on the court system throughout his trial have established a harmful example.