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Why putting Sarkozy in prison would be a mistake

The former French president’s corruption conviction, while justified, is a symptom of the entire country crumbling

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. © John van Hasselt/Getty Images

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. © John van Hasselt/Getty Images

By Matthieu Buge, who has worked on Russia for the magazine l’Histoire, the Russian film magazine Séance, and as a columnist for Le Courrier de Russie. He is the author of the book Le Cauchemar russe (‘The Russian Nightmare’)

Breaking news in French politics. Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty in a corruption case (millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Gaddafi dedicated to financing his campaign). Five years behind bars. Will he really go to jail? Politicians always find some trick to avoid what usual citizens can expect to endure. However, this sentence should worry French people, as it has deeper implications that French politicians and journalists do not seem to notice. Sarkozy has always been a divisive personality, so they are basically all either cheering or crying.

Indeed, Sarkozy was a terrible president. The list of his corruption scandals is too long to mention and one could argue that corruption is a fairly common thing among politicians. But when it comes to domestic affairs, the French people owe him… hm… a lot. I’ll give just a few examples. First and foremost, the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon, a pale copy of the project establishing a Constitution for the EU that the French people had rejected. Although he wanted to appear tough on security, immigration grew and multiculturalism was slyly promoted. He made the island of Mayotte a French department – a decision that created a huge uncontrollable back door for immigration. He sold 20% of France’s gold reserves. Public services were partly dismantled: hospitals saw their budgets diminished and with the opening of the energy market to European competition, he precipitated the weakening of the mighty EDF (the national electric company). And, of course, impudence being his first characteristic, he modified the French Constitution in order for the president to escape accusations of high treason, de facto organizing his own legal protection.

When it comes to foreign affairs, though, he’s been hailed for negotiating the end of hostilities between Russia and Georgia in 2008. He’ll remain famous for his total submission to NATO, his leading role in the destruction of Libya (and the creation of the migration crisis that followed) and his alignment with the US and Israel. To put it briefly, he destroyed the traditional French balance of power diplomacy.

He could be sued for almost everything he did, not only for this peculiar corruption case. Of course, some observers will say that it’s a sign that the French system is sane, that the separation of powers works. Others will complain that democracy has become a “judges’ government.” But the sentence has consequences that go way deeper.

State affairs are no small business. The French have been complaining that politicians spend too much in representation costs (clothes, diplomatic receptions, etc.). As one of the best diplomats in the history of France, Talleyrand (whose career survived the French revolution, the empire and the fall of Napoleon), said: “Give me a good chef and I’ll give you good treaties.” 

Reputation is everything when it comes to politics and geopolitics. Reputation is not only a quality, it’s also a network. Sarkozy entered politics in the late 1970s. He knows absolutely everybody that matters. Putting him in jail – no matter how logical, considering his resume – is not a practical and wise decision. It disservices France more than it promotes the country.

First and foremost, it proves that the French democracy is plagued by corruption (we all know it, but it makes it official), and it deprives France of one of its last experienced politicians with connections all over the globe. Will Emmanuel Macron intervene in this case? Macron being an arrogant psychopath, there’s a kind of certainty that he won’t. His “at the same time” policy will certainly consider that he can himself corrupt everybody but that the judges are untouchable when it comes to sentencing Sarkozy for corruption. Even his predecessor François Hollande, in spite of his complete idiocy, would have done something. We’ll see.

However, the French authorities – again – have proven to be incompetent ideologues. The Italians know better: another experienced political crook, Berlusconi, while sentenced, never went to jail.

Source: RT

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