Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court has released former officer of the State Guard Department Mykola Melnychenko on bail of UAH 76,500, which is around $9,600.

The court announced this decision on Friday. Thus, the court rejected a petition of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to keep Melnychenko in custody.

An Interfax-Ukraine reported said that Melnychenko has been released from the courtroom.

"The court rejected a petition to select detention as a measure of restraint… The measure of restraint will be replaced by bail of UAH 76,500," judge Andriy Trubnikov has said.

"To explain the ruling I should stress that the court sees no sufficient evidence that he [Melnychenko] would avoid investigation procedures," the judge said.

The court took into account the personality of the accused, his official status, and the fact that Melnychenko returned to Ukraine voluntarily.

In November 2000, a scandal broke in Ukraine after the parliament announced there were audio recordings allegedly made by Melnychenko in the office of then President Leonid Kuchma. Melnychenko was charged with divulging state secrets, exceeding his powers and using forged documents.

In September 2011, Melnychenko was put on the wanted list. A court in Kyiv ordered that he be remanded in custody, as Melnychenko had skipped bail and absconded.

Melnychenko was arrested in Italy on August 3. On August 14, an appellate court in Naples decided to release him.

Melnychenko was detained at Kyiv's Boryspil International Airport on October 24, where he had arrived on a flight from New York.

Melnychenko's lawyer Mykola Nedilko said that his client's right to defense was satisfied in full, and the procedure of his arrest was carried out according to the legislation. He also confirmed that Melnychenko was questioned on the criminal cases against Second Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and former Ukrainian premiers Pavlo Lazarenko and Yulia Tymoshenko.