SKOPJE, Dec 9 (Reuters) - A former Macedonian prime minister was sentenced on Tuesday to three and a half years in jail after he was found guilty of abuse of power while serving as defence minister during an armed conflict in 2001.

Vlado Buckovski and three other former officials, as well as the former army chief of staff, were found guilty of illegally purchasing excessive quantities of tank parts during the ethnic conflict in the former Yugoslav republic, causing losses of 2.5 million euros ($3.2 million) to the state budget.

"The court found that the accused have committed the crime and are found guilty," Judge Vangelica Markudova said.

Buckovski, who served as prime minister from 2004 to 2006, called the verdict "scandalous" and said he would appeal.

"We have proved that we are innocent and sorry that Macedonia and the court didn't use this opportunity to show its independence," he said.

The 2001 conflict ended after eight months of fighting between Macedonian security forces using tanks and helicopter gunships against ethnic Albanian rebels. The fighting, which brought the country to the brink of civil war, ended with a Western-brokered peace deal. (Reporting by Kole Casule, Editing by Adam Tanner and Mark Trevelyan)

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