Former Philippine president Joseph Estrada was found guilty of plunder and sentenced Wednesday to life imprisonment, six years after massive street protests led to his impeachment and prompted the Supreme Court to appoint a new president.

The Sandiganbayan anti-graft court said Estrada will serve his sentence or part of it under house arrest, until a final decision is made.

“Judgment is hereby rendered, ... finding the accused former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of plunder,” the court said.

The ex-leader said he expected Wednesday’s verdict, but couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“I assure you that I remain calm even if my lawyers and I disagree with the findings and conclusions of the court,” Estrada said after the court passed down the sentence. “This conviction, however, did not come as a surprise to us. We have expected this.”

Estrada, a popular former actor, said once again he is “innocent of all the charges,” adding, “The prosecution miserably failed to prove its case. I am at peace with myself, notwithstanding the guilty verdict, because you my beloved countrymen have overwhelmingly acquitted me.”

His lawyers announced they will appeal to the decision because the prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to support the drastic sentence.

Estrada, who served as president between 1998 and 2001 was found guilty of plunder, but was acquitted of a lesser charge of perjury, the prosecution previously alleging he didn’t tell the truth when asked to enumerate his possessions.

His son, Senator Jose Estrada was found not guilty of plunder by the same court.

The special court ruled that Estrada must return 930 million pesos (more than 15 million dollars) and a mansion, asset considered to have been acquired through illegal means. Also, Estrada is barred from holding any public office.

According to one of Estrada’s allies, the former leader and his family were deeply saddened after hearing the verdict.

“The president is very, very disappointed… the whole family is crying in the holding room,” Congressman Rufus Rodriguez said.

Hundreds of Erap’s (Estrada’s nickname) supporters gathered outside the courthouse, blasting the verdict. The supporters made a call the “Filipino people to mourn the death of justice in our country.”

About 500 people shouted pro-Estrada slogans and carried numerous banners demanding the release of the former film actor and president.

The prosecution was pleased with the verdict, State Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio saying: “This shows that the judicial system really works… This is not an issue of politics, it's a matter of evidence.”

“We established through very strong evidence that there is plunder,” he added.

More than six years ago, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the country’s vice-president and the constitutional successor of Estrada, the Chief Justice appointing her the Philippines new president on January 20, 2001.

On Wednesday she said the government must “bow to the decision of the Sandiganbayan.”

“We hope and pray that the rule of law will prevail,” her spokesman Ignacio Bunye said. “Meantime, we have a country to run, an economy to grow and a peace to win. We hope that this sad episode in our history will not permanently distract us from these goals.”