KIEV, December 1 - RAPSI. Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's defense has asked the court on Thursday to suspend the hearing of their appeal against her sentence due to her health problems, RIA Novosti reported.

A Kiev district court sentenced Tymoshenko on October 11 to seven years in prison for abuse of power in signing gas contracts between Ukraine's Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom in 2009. The prime minister had been kept at the detention center since August. In November, her health deteriorated. Tymoshenko has recently been transferred to a medical unit.

After hearing the arguments of the defense and prosecution, the court officials headed to the deliberations room to issue a decision.