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As he arrived at the Parisian detention facility this week, the former French leader posted a declaration brimming with resistance via social media, asserting, "It's not a ex-leader of the republic who is being jailed today, but rather an innocent man." An appellate court will eventually decide regarding the veracity of that statement. Yet sadly for Mr Sarkozy, the spectacle and impact of his decline cannot be ignored.

The Legal Judgment

France's leader between 2007 and 2012, Mr Sarkozy was judged culpable of illegal collaboration to obtain illicit campaign funds from the government of the former Libyan ruler, the Libyan strongman. Given a half-decade incarceration, he has been recorded as the first former leader of an EU member state to be imprisoned, and the initial French president since the disgraced head of the Vichy regime, Philippe Pétain. In a country where the chosen leader holds a quasi-monarchical status, this week's extraordinary spectacle was a seminal moment.

Public Trust and Judicial Responsibility

During a period when trust in government bodies in France has plummeted to the extent where warning signs are evident, it was also a sobering reminder that everyone is subject to the law. As per a study published recently, two-thirds of respondents said that they believed a large number of politicians were dishonest, and the vast majority said that many behaved predominantly out of individual benefit. In sentencing Mr Sarkozy and directing that his prison term should commence promptly, the judge, the judge, declared that she factored in both the exceptionally grave nature of the violations and the fact that they were "could damage the people's faith."

Legal Challenges

Such reflections might be deemed typical, especially given that the ex-president has in the past been convicted in separate corruption cases. However the Sarkozy trial and its aftermath have troublingly exposed the degree to which within the nation, as in different nations, the legal system is endangered by a increasingly common disrespect toward legal institutions and the try to influence of societal perspectives.

In Trumpian fashion, an comprehensive and precise legal process has been baselessly portrayed by Mr Sarkozy's supporters as a legal conspiracy and ideological revenge. Following the ruling in September, the former president publicly criticized his punishment as illegal and condemned the "animosity" with "no limits" that supposedly drove it. Since senior politicians and advocates from the right and far right have saturated public discourse and traditional outlets with the same talking points, the judicial figure has obtained numerous death threats.

Public Response

Encouragingly, the population does not appear to be buying it. A survey after the ruling found significant majorities supporting both the proceedings of the legal case and his punishment. But the drama, and the blatant effort to weaken the standing of the legal system, was most probably only a preliminary test. In January, the far-right leader's legal challenge against a judgment for embezzlement of political funds will take place. Should she lose it, the conservative figure will be excluded from running in the future campaign.

Coming Consequences

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a risky period for the national legal system to navigate. Mr Sarkozy could still be freed ahead of his next legal challenge, following a request by his legal team. But the unfounded and damaging assaults on the legal system at all stages of his trial have created a negative standard.