In a 3½-minute video released by his office and filmed at his residence on Sunday,a weary-looking Olmert said it was a"painful and strange"time for him and his family. He said he was paying a"heavy"price,but added that he accepted the sentence because"no man is above the law".
"At this hour it is important for me to say again ... I reject outright all the corruption allegations against me,"Olmert said. He said that in hindsight,the Israeli public might view the charges against him and the seven-year legal saga that enveloped him in a"balanced and critical way".
"I hope that then many will recognise that during my term as prime minister honest and promising attempts were made to create an opening for hope and a better future of peace,happiness and wellbeing,"he said.
As a result of his knowledge of state secrets,authorities have arranged to accommodate special security needs for Olmert. He is to dwell in bloc 10,which Israeli media have dubbed the prison's"VIP wing".
Olmert was convicted in March 2014 in a wide-ranging case that accused him of accepting bribes to promote a controversial real estate project when he was mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003.
Israel's supreme court in December upheld one count of bribe-taking andreduced a prison sentence handed to him by a lower court from six years to 18 months.