A Costa Rican court sentenced a former president to five years in prison for accepting bribes from French telecom giant Alcatel, AFP and local media reported.

Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who served as president from 1998-2002 and was also once the head of the Organization of American States, also cannot serve in public office for 12 years, the court ruled. He allegedly received more than $800,000 in bribes from Alcatel during his presidency in exchange for helping the company get a $149 million contract to provide 400,000 cell phone lines.

"Miguel Angel Rodriguez Echeverria has been found to have been the main instigator of the crime of aggravated corruption ... and will receive a sentence of five years in prison," Rosaura Garcia, the lead criminal judge on the second circuit panel in San Jose, announced.

Rodriguez was defiant as he left the courtroom, according to a local media report.

"We will appeal. We will defend ourselves," Rodríguez said. "What happened today is just another step forward down the same road... I want any one of you to tell me one illegal thing I did to merit these charges."