Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been handed a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy tied to illegal campaign financing from Libya, becoming the first post-war president to face imprisonment.

The backroom deals and "bling bling" reputation that many French people have come to associate with Nicolas Sarkozy during his 2007-2012 presidency came back to haunt him on Thursday, as he became the first leader of modern-day France to face jail for a criminal conviction.

Nicolas Sarkozy entered the Elysee Palace in 2007 boasting hyperactive energy and a vision to transform France, but lost office after just one term and the ex-president is now set to go to prison in a spectacular downfall.