Jerusalem: Israel's former prime minister Ehud Olmert made a last-minute plea to salvage his legacy, appealing to Israelis to remember his peacemaking attempts as leader, and denied any wrongdoing in the bribery charges against him just hours before heading to prison.

Olmert, 70, reported to Israel's Maasiyahu prison on Monday to begin a 19-month prison sentence for bribery and obstruction of justice. He is the first Israeli leader to be imprisoned.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert enters prison to begin his sentence in the central Israeli town of Ramle, Israel, on Monday. Credit:AP

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".