France s former president Nicolas Sarkozy was on Monday found guilty of corruption and influence-peddling and sentenced to a three-year jail term.
Sarkozy, 66, is however allowed to request that his prison term of which two years are suspended be served at home with an electronic bracelet.
He is the first former French leader to be handed out a prison sentence that includes time with no remission. His predecessor at the Elysée Palace, Jacques Chirac, had been handed a two-year suspended jail term after being found guilty of corruption while Paris Mayor.
Sarkozy s defence lawyer Jacqueline Laffont told reporters that the former president would appeal the decision and contested the conviction. Laffont said the court decision was totally out of step with the reality of the hearing.