A Paris court on Monday found Sarkozy guilty of corruption and sentenced him to three years in prison, two of which were suspended, for allegedly trying to influence-peddle a French judge into giving him information on a probe into illicit funding of his 2007 presidential campaign.

Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog and a former high-ranking official of the Court of Cassation, Gilbert Azibert, were also found guilty of corruption in the same case.

"I said that I would not be a candidate in the presidential elections, I am keeping this in force," Sarkozy said.