Moshe Katzav is planning to appeal against the seven year prison sentence he was given following his conviction for raping a former employee.
With just a month before his sentence is due to begin on May 8, lawyers for the disgraced former Israeli president said they would ask for a delay.
Katzav, the most senior Israeli politician to face jail time, was convicted in December of two counts of rape, one of indecent assault and one of obstruction of justice.
The 65-year-old, Israel's eighth president, was also ordered to pay compensation totalling £19,000 to two of his victims. However this week it emerged that his victims had yet to receive any money.