Sarkozy's Initial 24 Hours Behind Bars: No Citizen Stands Above the Law

As he was transported at La Santé prison this week, the former French leader shared a declaration overflowing with defiance via social media, writing, "It's not a ex-leader of the nation facing incarceration this morning, it's an wrongfully accused individual." The appeals judiciary will eventually rule on the accuracy of that statement. Yet sadly for Mr Sarkozy, the turmoil and significance of his fall cannot simply be wished away.

The Guilty Verdict

The French head of state from 2007 to 2012, Mr Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy to obtain illegal financing from the regime of the late Libyan dictator, the Libyan strongman. Given a five-year prison term, he has been recorded as the initial ex-head of an EU country to enter prison, and the first French leader since the dishonored head of wartime France, the Vichy leader. Across France where the elected president enjoys a quasi-monarchical status, this week's unprecedented scene was a seminal moment.

Public Trust and Judicial Responsibility

During a period when trust in government bodies in France has collapsed to the extent where alarms are sounding, it was also a instructive example that no one is above the law. In a poll released this week, two-thirds of respondents stated that they thought a most of elected officials were dishonest, and nearly nine out of 10 said that most operated primarily out of self-interest. In sentencing the former president and mandating that his sentence should begin without delay, the presiding magistrate, the judge, noted that she took into account both the exceptionally grave nature of the crimes and the fact that they were "likely to undermine the people's faith."

Judicial Threats

Those thoughts might be seen as ordinary, notably because that the ex-president has in the past been convicted in other graft trials. Yet the legal proceedings and its consequences have alarmingly revealed the degree to which in France, as in other countries, the judicial framework is endangered by a increasingly common disrespect toward legal institutions and the effort to control of the popular view.

Using divisive tactics, an thorough and detailed judicial procedure has been groundlessly presented by the former president's allies as a legal conspiracy and political retaliation. Following the ruling last month, the former president openly condemned his sentence as invalid and condemned the "animosity" with "no limits" that allegedly motivated it. While senior politicians and backers from the traditional and radical have saturated public discourse and conservative press with the identical arguments, the judge has received numerous death threats.

Citizen Reaction

Encouragingly, the population largely rejects this narrative. A post-verdict poll found clear majorities endorsing both the handling of the courtroom process and his sentencing. Yet the turmoil, and the naked attempt to undermine the reputation of the legal system, was most probably merely a dress rehearsal. Next year, Marine Le Pen's court petition against a guilty verdict for misuse of campaign money will be heard. If the appeal fails, the conservative figure will be disqualified from participating in the future campaign.

Coming Consequences

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a dangerous time for the national legal system to navigate. The former president could still be freed before his own appeal, following a request by his attorneys. But the reckless and unfounded criticisms on the legal system before, during and after his proceedings have set a damaging precedent.