From former president to future prisoner: Sarkozy's conviction divides France

Sarkozy is back where he used to be – dominating the news and dividing the nation, writes the BBC's Hugh Schofield.

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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.

And the circumstances are full of the same sulphurous contention that used once to mark his every move.

Fresh from his sentencing in the "Libyan money" trial on Thursday, he spoke with incandescent rage about the "limitless hatred" of which he said he was still a victim.

From the moment he emerged as a champion of the right, Sarkozy was convinced he had been the target of a left-wing cabal within the French judiciary and media.