Madagascar's former prime minister was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years of hard labor and ordered to pay $7.6 million in damages for his role in last year's election crisis that led to the formation of two governments.

Tantely Andrianarivo was convicted of wrongfully withdrawing more than $7.4 million from state coffers, which he will have to repay. He also was ordered to another $200,000 in damages.

Andrianarivo also was convicted of usurping government functions and other charges related to the power struggle between former President Didier Ratsiraka and his successor, Marc Ravalomanana. Andrianarivo was loyal to Ratsiraka.

Defense lawyers said Andrianarivo used the money to pay state salaries, but prosecutors argued he no longer was prime minister at the time and did not have the authority to make the payments.

Andrianarivo's attorneys condemned the severity of the penalties and said they would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Andrianarivo, who has been detained for more than a year, appeared frail and had difficulty standing during the trial.

On Dec. 5, he was admitted to a military hospital suffering from a "general deterioration" in health and physical exhaustion, apparently due to poor prison conditions, said the London-based human rights group Amnesty International.

Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana both claimed the presidency after a disputed December 2001 election in this island nation off eastern Africa.

After low-level fighting split the country between two governments, two capitals and two presidents, Ratsiraka fled to France in June 2002.

Ratsiraka was sentenced in absentia to 10 years of hard labor for wrongfully withdrawing money from the country's central bank and to an additional five years in prison for attempting to get five of the country's six provinces to secede. There have been no efforts to seek his extradition.

Since Ravalomanana came to power, several hundred people have been arrested for their roles in the crisis.

But while human rights activists says abuses were committed on both sides, Amnesty International has expressed concern that legal proceedings are only being brought against those who sided with Ratsiraka.

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