No one should be above the law – not even Presidents

LAST week, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began serving a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of conspiring to illegally raise campaign funds from Libya.

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Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, is the first former French head of state in modern times to serve a custodial sentence. His conviction sends a powerful message that no one, not even a president, is above the law. It is a reminder that justice, when applied impartially, strengthens democracy rather than weakens it.

For Sri Lanka, this should be an uncomfortable yet necessary moment of reflection. Our own record of holding leaders accountable for corruption, abuse of power, and grave human rights violations is abysmal. Despite overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing, not a single president of Sri Lanka has ever faced justice for their alleged crimes. The impunity enjoyed by those who have held the country's highest office continues to corrode public trust in the judiciary, the rule of law, and democracy itself.