A court in Slovenia has sentenced former prime minister Janez Jansa to two years in prison for seeking bribes from a Finnish arms dealer while in office, Belfast Telegraph said.

The District Court in Ljubljana ruled Jansa and two others sought about two million euro (£1.7 million) in bribes to help Finnish firm Patria win a 2006 contract for 135 armoured personnel carriers worth 278 million euro (£244 million).

Jansa has denied the accusations, claiming they are politically motivated. Several hundred supporters have rallied outside the court to protest against the ruling.

Jansa served twice as prime minister. His centre-right government was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote earlier this year after an anti-graft body accused him of corruption.