Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko hopes that the Kyiv Pechersky District Court will sanction the trial in absentia of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on charges of high treason and will start the trial in early February 2017.

"I have no right to influence the court in any way. I hope that the court will pass the only possible legal decision - in line with the current legislation it will sanction the special procedure, in other words, trial in absentia," the prosecutor general said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

According to him, at the moment, the investigation is nearing completion.

"Once we've received the Pecherskу court ruling... we will be able to close the investigation, to provide materials for consideration and the trial will start no later than in early February," the prosecutor general said.

On December 28, Kyiv Pechersky District Court postponed the consideration of a request by the Military Prosecutor's Office on granting permission for the pre-trial investigation in absentia into the criminal proceedings on Yanukovych's charges of high treason before Kyiv Court of Appeals decides on the jurisdiction of the case.

The ex-president's defense team asked the court on December 26 asked Kyiv Court of Appeals to change the court, which is to determine the possibility of pretrial investigation in absentia against Yanukovych in the high treason case.