Kyiv's Court of Appeals has nixed the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) request on pretrial confinement for head of Ukraine's Central Election Commission Mykhailo Okhendovsky.

"The court has refused SAPO's request," the court's press service told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday, saying the earlier decision remains in force.

Kyiv's Solomiansky district court earlier ruled Okhendovsky should be released on his own recognizance until February 13, 2017: the CEC head can leave Ukraine only after receiving permission from prosecutors.

On December 13 Okhendovsky was served with an indictment at Kyiv's Boryspil airport involving the so-called "black ledger" of the Party of Regions. He is suspected of committing crimes defined in Parts 3 and of Article 36 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (receiving bribes in excessive amounts while occupying a high-ranking position).

The total value of the bribes Okhendovsky allegedly has taken mounts to around $161,700, or UAH 1.29 million.

SAPO had urged stricter pretrial confinement measures for Okhendovsky.