Conrad Black, the former Hollinger International chairman convicted of fraud and obstructing justice, lost a bid to delay the start of his 6½-year sentence and must report to a US prison by Monday.

A federal appeals court in Chicago yesterday denied a request by Black's lawyers to postpone his punishment while it considers an appeal of his conviction.

"Defendant Black must report to prison on or before March 3rd as required by the district court's order," the three-judge panel said.

Black has been assigned to the US Bureau of Prison's low security Federal Correctional Institute at Coleman, Florida, said defence attorney Jeffrey Steinback.

A jury in June found Black and three other Hollinger officers guilty of stealing $6.1 million from the Chicago-based newspaper publisher now known as Sun-Times Media Group.

Hollinger was once the world's third-largest publisher of English-language newspapers, including the Chicago Sun-Times, Canada's National Post, the Jerusalem Post and the Britain's Daily Telegraph.

Black (63) led the company as its chairman and chief executive officer for eight years before being forced to resign as chief executive amid allegations of corruption in November 2003. Two months later, he was fired as chairman.

Convicted with him on three counts of mail fraud were Peter Atkinson (61), a former vice-president with the firm; former chief financial officer John Boultbee (64); and the company's top in-house lawyer, Mark Kipnis (60). Black alone was found guilty of obstruction of justice.

All four men have appealed their convictions. - (Bloomberg)