Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to prison for criminal conspiracy, over a plot linked to former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's prison sentence has deepened divisions in France over judges' handling of political wrongdoing, months before far-right chief Marine Le Pen attempts to overturn an embezzlement conviction and run for top office.

Nicolas Sarkozy is back where he used to be – dominating the news and dividing the nation. Thirteen years after he left office, he is about to become the first former French president to be sent to prison after getting a five-year term for criminal conspiracy.

The Sarkozy-Gaddafi saga began in almost theatrical circumstances.

Carla Bruni, the former top model and singer-songwriter wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, stood by her man on Thursday after he was sentenced to five years in jail for criminal conspiracy over dealings with Libya.