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While he was transported at the Parisian detention facility on Tuesday, Nicolas Sarkozy posted a message brimming with defiance via social media, stating, "This isn't a ex-leader of the nation facing incarceration today, but rather an wrongfully accused individual." An appellate court will in time give its view the truthfulness of that statement. But unfortunately for Mr Sarkozy, the drama and importance of his fall cannot be ignored.

The Conviction

President of France during the 2007-2012 term, Mr Sarkozy was convicted of unlawful plotting to obtain prohibited donations from the regime of the former Libyan ruler, the Libyan strongman. Given a five-year sentence, he has become the pioneering past president of an European Union nation to go behind bars, and the initial French president since the disgraced head of wartime France, Philippe Pétain. Across France where the elected president enjoys a almost king-like position, the recent remarkable event was a defining instance.

National Faith and Legal Consequences

In an era when confidence in political systems in France has plummeted to the extent where the lights are flashing red, it was also a sobering reminder that everyone is subject to the law. In a poll released this week, a majority of participants indicated that they thought a large number of government figures were corrupt, and nearly nine out of 10 claimed that most acted mainly out of self-interest. While judging Mr Sarkozy and mandating that his prison term should begin without delay, the court official, Nathalie Gavarino, said that she factored in both the extremely serious character of the violations and the fact that they were "likely to undermine public confidence."

Legal Challenges

Such reflections might be considered unexceptional, notably because that the ex-president has previously been convicted in other graft trials. Yet the Sarkozy trial and its aftermath have disturbingly laid bare the degree to which across the country, as in different nations, the legal system is threatened by a increasingly common contempt for the judiciary and the try to influence of public opinion.

Following a populist playbook, an thorough and detailed judicial procedure has been falsely depicted by the former president's allies as a judicial plot and leftwing vendetta. After the verdict in September, the ex-leader openly condemned his sentence as illegal and condemned the "animosity" with "no restraints" that supposedly drove it. As prominent officials and supporters from the right and far right have filled the airwaves and traditional outlets with the similar rhetoric, the judicial figure has obtained numerous death threats.

Public Response

Hearteningly, the population largely rejects this narrative. A post-verdict poll found clear majorities supporting both the conduct of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his punishment. But the turmoil, and the naked attempt to damage the credibility of the judicial system, was most probably merely a dress rehearsal. Next year, Marine Le Pen's appeal against a judgment for misuse of campaign money will be heard. Should she lose it, the political candidate will be ruled out from competing in the future campaign.

Coming Consequences

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a risky period for the country's courts to navigate. Mr Sarkozy might eventually exit ahead of his next legal challenge, after an application by his lawyers. Yet the unfounded and damaging assaults on the judicial framework at all stages of his case have established a harmful example.