Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko denied Friday interfering with the work of law enforcement bodies investigating corruption and he urged such agencies to refrain from playing politics.

Perceived backsliding by Kiev on its reform commitments, including delays in establishing an independent court to handle corruption cases, has held up billions of dollars in loans under Ukraine's $17.5 billion IMF programme.

Poroshenko's faction is the largest in parliament and the president also nominates the general prosecutor.

Poroshenko was asked about the current furore surrounding former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili after Ukrainian law enforcement officials twice failed to detain him this week on charges of aiding a criminal organisation.

Saakashvili became a regional governor in Ukraine in 2015 at Poroshenko's invitation but they later fell out, with the former Georgian leader accusing the president of corruption.

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