Mykola Nedilko, a lawyer for former State Guard Department Major Mykola Melnychenko, has filed an appeal against the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv's decision to release his client on UAH 76,500 bail.

"The appeal was filed yesterday [on October 30]," the lawyer told journalists on Wednesday.

Nedilko noted that in the complaint, he asked the Court of Appeals to cancel the lower court's decision, according to which Melnychenko cannot leave the city he lives in without the permission of the investigator and according to which he should report a change of residence and surrender his foreign passport.

He said that such restrictions contradicted the security measures applied to Melnychenko.

"They are contrary to the law of Ukraine on ensuring the security of persons who are involved in criminal proceedings," Nedilko said.

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.