South Africa's former police chief and ex-president of Interpol Jackie Selebi on Monday left the hospital to begin his 15-year jail sentence for corruption, the national prosecutions spokesman said.

"I have been told that Selebi reported to Pretoria Central Prison accompanied by his lawyers and the investigating offer," Mthunzi Mhaga told AFP.

Selebi arrived in prison in an ambulance.

"He is in prison hospital at the Pretoria Central Prison," said correctional services spokewoman Sibongile Khumalo.

His lawyers had earlier tried in vain to obtain a court order to delay the start of his jail time, citing his poor health.

The disgraced former police chief collapsed on Friday upon hearing news that he had lost his appeal against his graft conviction.

He may still mount a challenge at the Constitutional Court, the country's highest tribunal.

The former top cop was convicted last year of accepting cash and gifts, including from convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti, amounting to more than 1.2 million rand ($148,000 dollars, 110,000 euros) in bribes over a five-year period.

All five appeals judges upheld evidence that annotations in Aggliotti's chequebook referred to Selebi, and that the ex-police commissioner had shown his ally a secret British document on investigations into Aggliotti's alleged drug-trafficking activities.

The ex-chief had to report to prison on Sunday morning, but his lawyers secured a temporary reprieve.

He was suffering from a long-standing medical condition, his lawyer Wynanda Coetzee told Sapa news agency.