Egalité before law: Le scandale Sarkozy

The five-year prison sentence for former French president Nicolas Sarkozy over conspiracy in the Libyan funding of his 2007 presidential campaign has shaken the political milieu in France.

- Roshan Bourget

The verdict was passed by the Paris Criminal Court last week making it the first time that a French head of state has been sentenced to prison, marking a major volte-face in the attitude of the judiciary - to bring even the big cheese to justice.

The ruling echoes the republican principle of equality before the law, first declared during the French Revolution of 1789. For decades, this ideal existed more in theory than in practice, with political elites shielded from scrutiny.

Sarkozy's conviction suggests a judicial system determined to bridge that gap.

By refusing to bow to political influence, the French judiciary has reaffirmed its role as an independent referee.

This is the result of reforms dating back to the 1960s, as the National School of the Judiciary and judicial unionism paved the path to an independent bench.