Arrested in London ex-Ukrspecexport chief Serhiy Bondarchuk has asked for political asylum in the U.K., Deputy Chief of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) Yevhen Enin has said.

Enin told the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Monday that because Bondarchuk had applied for political asylum, British courts had set aside requests filed by Ukrainian law-enforcement agencies to extradite him until the asylum request is adjudicated.

Enin said hearings on asylum would not begin earlier than November 2017.

"I think, in the best case scenario, they will commence in November," Enin said.

As earlier reported, Bonadrchuk in March 2017 was released in London on bail. PGO spokeswoman Larysa Sarhan said court hearings on his extradition were scheduled for March 24.

On January 21, 2015, the chief military prosecutor's office said that Bondarchuk was suspected in embezzling $7.428 million from the state-run company. He is suspected under Part 5 of Article 191 (gross embezzlement via abuse of office under a preliminary collusion by a group of persons) and Part 2 of Article 366 (fabrication caused serious consequences) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

On January 29 the investigating magistrate of Pechersky district court of Kyiv permitted to detain the former head of Ukrspecexport and sent him to court to decide on his arrest.

The court also arrested assets of the suspect - $10 million at one of the Ukrainian banks and two Range Rover cars worth over UAH 2 million.

In February 2015 the Interior Ministry of Ukraine put Bondarchuk on the wanted list.

Interpol placed former head of Ukrspecexport Serhiy Bondarchuk on the international wanted list on June 15, 2015.

Bondarchuk headed Ukrspecexport from March 2005 through June 2010 and signed the largest arms deals in Ukraine's history with China, India, Thailand and Iraq.

Ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in February 2010 awarded Bondarchuk the "Hero of Ukraine" medal for outstanding services to the state in the development of Ukraine's Armed Forces.

From 2010 Bondarchuk was a member and later head of the political council of Yushchenko's Our Ukraine Party.