KIEV, December 2 - RAPSI. A Kiev court of appeals accepted at its Thursday preliminary hearing the appeal filed by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko against her sentence in a "gas case" and set December 13 to hear the appeal, RIA Novosti reported.

"The appeal will be considered on its merits on December 13," said the judge. A panel of judges will hear the appeal.

The court has rejected a number of Tymoshenko's applications, including that requesting full investigation of the case, which caused the indignation of the defense attorneys and opposition parliamentarians present at the session.

The court also refused to suspend hearing the appeal until Tymoshenko fully recovers.

Likewise, the court decided to leave her in custody.

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. Both her defense attorneys and opposition activists believe her prosecution is driven by politics, while the authorities have denied such allegations.