Kyiv-based Shevchenkivsky District Court ruled to arrest Georgian citizen Oleg Melnikov until his extradition in order to carry out all of the necessary procedures before handing him over to the Georgian side, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) has said.

The PGO's press service told Interfax-Ukraine that following Melnikov's detention in Kyiv he was placed under arrest for 40 days.

"During this period, the Georgian side submitted to Ukraine the package of documents necessary to launch the extradition process," the press service said.

"On January 9, Shevchenkivsky District Court ruled to arrest Melnikov until his extradition," the PGO said and explained that within the two months foreseen by the legislation it will check the man's citizenship, state of health, the possibility of prosecuting him in Ukraine or granting him the status of a refugee, and other information.

The PGO added that in case it checks all necessary information and finds no obstacles to Melnikov's extradition, a court would rule to extradite him.

Melnikov can appeal to court against the ruling and ask the Ukrainian authorities for the status of a refugee.

Thus, the press service rejected recent media reports saying that Ukraine had allegedly refused to extradite Melnikov to Georgia.

"The court ruled to arrest him until extradition in order to carry out all necessary procedures for passing him to the Georgian side," the PGO said.

"The procedures are carried out in strict compliance with Ukrainian legislation and the European Convention on Extradition," the press service stressed.

According to the legislation, during the arrest until extradition the Georgian senior official will be kept in custody at a pre-trial detention facility. Such arrests may last for up to 12 months, according to the Criminal Procedure Code.

Georgian media reported on Friday referring to sources in Ukraine that the court in Kyiv had extended Melnikov's custody by 12 months.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Georgia accused former high official of the constitutional security department of the Georgian Interior Ministry, Oleg Melnikov, of abuse of power, as well as being involved in the murder of Georgian citizen Sandro Girgvliani in 2006.

The Georgian prosecutor's office put Melnikov on the international wanted list following his departure from Georgia on December 2, 2012. On December 7, 2012, the ex-official was detained in Kyiv.

Apart from Melnikov, the former head of the constitutional security department, Data Ahalaya, and officials from the department - Soso Topuridze and Geronty Alaniya - were also put on international wanted list for the same case.