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While he made his way at the Parisian detention facility this week, Nicolas Sarkozy posted a statement brimming with opposition via social media, asserting, "It's not a former president of the republic facing incarceration this morning, it's an wrongfully accused individual." An appellate court will in time decide regarding the truthfulness of this assertion. Yet sadly for Mr Sarkozy, the turmoil and impact of his downfall cannot be dismissed.

The Legal Judgment

France's leader between 2007 and 2012, the former president was convicted of criminal conspiracy to obtain illegal financing from the administration of the former Libyan ruler, Colonel Gaddafi. Handed a half-decade incarceration, he has been recorded as the initial ex-head of an EU member state to enter prison, and the first French leader since the disgraced head of wartime France, Philippe Pétain. Within a nation where the democratically selected head of state possesses a quasi-monarchical status, Tuesday's extraordinary spectacle was a defining instance.

Citizen Confidence and Judicial Responsibility

At a time when faith in political institutions in France has collapsed to the extent where alarms are sounding, it was also a salutary demonstration that everyone is subject to the law. According to a survey released this week, a majority of participants indicated that they thought a majority of politicians were unethical, and nearly nine out of 10 claimed that many operated primarily out of individual benefit. When convicting Mr Sarkozy and mandating that his sentence should begin without delay, the court official, the judicial authority, said that she factored in both the exceptionally grave nature of the violations and the fact that they were "likely to undermine the people's faith."

Judicial Threats

These considerations might be seen as ordinary, especially given that the ex-president has in the past been found guilty in separate corruption cases. However the legal proceedings and its aftermath have troublingly exposed the degree to which in France, as in other countries, the legal system is endangered by a recently popular contempt for the judiciary and the effort to control of public opinion.

Using divisive tactics, an exhaustive and meticulous judicial procedure has been groundlessly presented by his backers as a judicial plot and ideological revenge. Following the ruling in September, the former president openly condemned his judgment as unlawful and condemned the "hatred" with "no restraints" that supposedly drove it. Since senior politicians and supporters from the traditional and radical have saturated public discourse and conservative press with the similar rhetoric, the judge has obtained numerous death threats.

Public Response

Hearteningly, the citizens does not appear to be buying it. Research following the judgment found clear majorities backing both the handling of Mr Sarkozy's trial and his conviction. But the spectacle, and the obvious try to undermine the reputation of the judicial system, was very likely just a trial run. Next year, Marine Le Pen's legal challenge against a guilty verdict for diversion of electoral finances will be heard. Should she lose it, the far-right National Rally leader will be ruled out from competing in the future campaign.

Future Implications

In a polarised and mistrustful nation, that will be a dangerous time for the French judiciary to navigate. The former president might eventually exit before his own appeal, following a request by his legal team. Yet the unfounded and damaging assaults on the judicial framework throughout his trial have created a negative standard.