KIEV, February 20 - RAPSI. The European Court of Human Rights will open on April 17 public hearings in a former Ukrainian interior minister's application regarding his arrest and political persecution, the People's Self-Defense Political Party reports on its website.

The party is headed by ex-minister Yuriy Lutsenko.

Lutsenko filed an application with the court in January. The court has decided to consider the application on a priority basis.

Lutsenko was accused of employing his personal driver at the ministry and providing him with an apartment and a pension. He is also blamed for overspending on Police Day celebrations. Investigators estimate the damages inflicted by Lutsenko against the state at 1 million gryvnias ($125,000) while serving as minister.

A Kiev court is expected to pronounce Lutsenko's sentence on February 27. The prosecution requests to sentence him to 4.5 years in prison. His counsel maintain that the prosecution has failed to prove its arguments and their client deserves an acquittal on all counts.

Lutsenko says the case is politically driven. The authorities deny these claims.