The fire at the Bank Street Royal Bank branch on May 18 was recorded on a video posted on the internet, accompanied by a political statement from a group calling itself FFFC - Ottawa. (CBC)

A retired bureaucrat who firebombed a Royal Bank branch in downtown Ottawa last May says he regrets the protest.

Roger Clement told court Monday the firebombing early on May 18 was a protest against the bank's connections to the Alberta oilands and the Vancouver Olympics.

Clement pleaded guilty last month to arson causing damage and will be sentenced Tuesday. The 58-year-old was addressing court at the end of his sentencing hearing.

He said that being in jail has meant he can't fulfil his responsibilities as a brother and friend, and he regrets the inconvenience he has caused so many people.

Clement poured gasoline in front of the bank's ATM machines while his accomplices ignited the fuel with a Molotov cocktail before running off.

No one was injured in the fire, which caused an estimated $1.6 million damage.

Clement's lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, argued his client should only serve three years because the attack on the branch at Bank Street and First Avenue was out of character and Clement isn't likely to reoffend.

The Crown is asking for a sentence of five to six years

With files from The Canadian Press