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As he arrived at the Parisian detention facility on Tuesday, the former French leader posted a message brimming with opposition via social media, asserting, "It's not a former president of the republic who is being jailed today, it's an wrongfully accused individual." The appeals judiciary will in time give its view the accuracy of this assertion. Yet sadly for Mr Sarkozy, the turmoil and importance of his fall cannot be ignored.

The Conviction

France's leader during the 2007-2012 term, the former president was convicted of illegal collaboration to secure illegal financing from the administration of the late Libyan dictator, Colonel Gaddafi. Sentenced to a five-year prison term, he has become the initial ex-head of an EU country to go behind bars, and the initial French president since the disgraced head of wartime France, the Vichy leader. Across France where the chosen leader holds a near-royal standing, this week's extraordinary spectacle was a defining instance.

Citizen Confidence and Legal Accountability

During a period when faith in political institutions in France has collapsed to the point where alarms are sounding, it was also a salutary demonstration that everyone is subject to the law. In a poll issued this week, a majority of participants indicated that they believed a most of government figures were dishonest, and the vast majority reported that many acted mainly out of individual benefit. In sentencing Mr Sarkozy and directing that his incarceration should start immediately, the presiding magistrate, the judicial authority, declared that she considered both the extremely serious character of the crimes and the fact that they were "potentially erode citizens' trust."

Courtroom Struggles

These considerations might be seen as ordinary, particularly since that the ex-president has in the past been found guilty in separate corruption cases. But the legal proceedings and its aftermath have troublingly exposed the extent to which across the country, as in other countries, the legal system is jeopardized by a newly fashionable contempt for the judiciary and the attempted manipulation of societal perspectives.

In Trumpian fashion, an comprehensive and precise legal process has been falsely depicted by the former president's allies as a judicial plot and leftwing vendetta. Subsequent to the decision in September, the ex-leader openly condemned his sentence as illegal and censured the "animosity" with "no boundaries" that supposedly drove it. Since prominent officials and supporters from the conservative and extremist have saturated public discourse and conservative press with the same talking points, the judge has obtained multiple threats.

Public Response

Hearteningly, the citizens largely rejects this narrative. A survey after the ruling found comfortable majorities supporting both the handling of the legal case and his punishment. But the spectacle, and the blatant effort to undermine the reputation of the court system, was in all likelihood merely a dress rehearsal. Next year, Marine Le Pen's legal challenge against a guilty verdict for diversion of electoral finances will be heard. If unsuccessful, the conservative figure will be disqualified from running in the upcoming election.

Coming Consequences

Within a divided and skeptical country, that will be a risky period for the national legal system to handle. Mr Sarkozy might eventually exit before his own appeal, following a request by his lawyers. However the reckless and unfounded criticisms on the legal system before, during and after his case have established a harmful example.