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.

French authorities have yet to say, but people familiar with the French judicial system say a likely lockup could be La Sante in Paris, a historic prison that once housed leftist militant Carlos the Jackal and former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

The Sarkozy-Gaddafi saga began in almost theatrical circumstances.

The grubby 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.