Former Quebec lieutenant-governor Lise Thibault will be allowed to appeal her 18-month jail sentence and, after six days in jail, has been released on $5,000 bail.

Thibault pleaded guilty to fraud and breach of trust charges in connection with expenses she claimed while in office.

After being sentenced last Wednesday, Thibault has spent the last six nights at the Quebec Detention Centre.

Her lawyer, Marc Labelle, said the facilities "aren't equipped to take care of a person living with disabilities."

As part of her release conditions, Thibault, who is 76, must stay in her home in Saint-Hippolyte and hand over her passport. The Court of Appeal will hear arguments in February.

Thibault's age and physical condition were among the arguments Labelle presented to Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Jacques J. Levesque Tuesday morning in requesting the appeal.

Labelle also claimed Thibault was judged more severely because her case attracted a lot of publicity.

"Was she given an exemplary sentence because she was a high-ranking official? We have the right to see if as a citizen she should be facing a smaller sentence," he told the court.

Labelle also argued there is no precedent for a case like this, and therefore the court had little to go on to render its decision.

Crown prosecutor Marcel Guimond argued the 18-month sentence was fair, given there was a breach of trust.

Guimond said it's normal the case received so much attention given Thibault was a public figure.

"The sentence is not unreasonable when we look at the entire case," he said.

Guimond also said the detention centre's facilities were well-equipped for Thibault's needs.

Before adjourning, Lévesque brought up a technicality that Labelle hopes will weigh in his client's favour.

Lévesque mentioned there have been changes to the Criminal Code between the time Thibault committed the acts and her sentencing.

He said his role is not to study these changes, but "this could have to be reviewed by a panel of three judges of the Quebec Court of Appeal."

Levesque could publish his decision as soon as this afternoon.

Thibault was charged two years after a 2007 report by the federal and provincial auditors general revealed she claimed more than $700,000 in improper expenses while she held the vice-regal post between 1997 and 2007.