Roman Polanski's extradition to Los Angeles could take months

Roman Polanski could remain in Switzerland for months if he decides to fight extradition to Los Angeles, where he faces a rape conviction.

The film director has eluded U.S. capture for 30 years. A 1978 arrest warrant, issued after he failed to appear at his sentencing on the statutory rape conviction, is still in effect. The director of "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby" has not returned to the U.S. since then but continues to work as a director.

If he continues to fight, the court process could be quite lengthy, said Guido Ballmer, a spokesman for the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police.

In that case, Ballmer said, U.S. authorities have 60 days to file formal papers requesting his extradition. Polanski can ask the Federal Penal Court of Justice to reject those papers and, if he is denied, appeal to a higher court, the Federal Court of Justice.

If he is denied there and ordered extradited, he can appeal that decision to the two courts again. Ballmer said it was impossible to estimate how long Polanski’s case could take.

Unlike in the U.S., however, any legal wrangling in Switzerland would take place outside of public view.

“There is certainly no public court meeting. It’s basically paperwork. The judges are talking to lawyers, to Mr. Polanski as well,” Ballmer said.

Despite the layered appeals process, Switzerland has extradited fugitives to the U.S. before. In 2005, the government sent a former Russian nuclear minister to the United States to face charges of stealing $9 million in American aid that was supposed to be spent on improving safety at Russian nuclear plants. That process took five months.

It is still possible the director will opt to allow extradition. “If he agrees with an extradition, he could be sent to the U.S. in the next days,” Ballmer said.

-- Harriet Ryan

Comments

[MPS]

It's about time! Let justice prevail. A convicted pedophile--however "artistically" rewarded--should never escape punishment for sexually abusing (other more reprehensible crimes were dropped against him) a 12-year-old girl who will bear the scars all her life.

Give Polanski what he deserves. A jail term. And if France wants to become an asylum for pedophiles, it would be tragic.

France should initiate a Treaty with the U.S. for the reeturn of such criminals. Why does it NOT such a Treaty already? Surely Mr. Sarkozy got elected for not being "soft-on-crime socialist" like his female political foe Segolene Royal! And yet it was Ms. Royal who had proposed changes to French Laws to make sure pedophiles do not escape with light sentences as is now the case in France!

[Cliff]

Polanski drugged and then raped and sodomized a 13 year old girl. Most people don't know what that guy did .That guy deserves to stay in jail until he dies.

[C-Los]

Incest, rape & drugs.. its the "IN" thing in Hollywood. Let the man go

[Jeff]

I am old enough to remember the sordid event involving Polanski raping a child. Polanski say it was consentual?? The law says a 13 year old cannot consent. As far as I'm concerned, he's a pervert who needs to face justice as much as if the crime happened last week. I'm tired of famous people getting a free pass for sickening crimes against children. Michael Jackson and Roman Polanski should both have been put away in prison.

[RDA]

It will be great if one of these days an European country order the detention of George W. Bush, Cheaney, Rumsfeld or any of those crooks. Of course they are cautious not going to the Old Continent to avoid being arrested,

[D Simon]

This is ridiculous.
I object to my tax money being spent to a cold case that has been settled, was clearly mishandled by the now deceased judge in the first place, and has even the 'victim' saying, years ago, that she does not want any prosecution.
I applaud France, and the EU for not extraditing him. Neutral Switzerland obviously has some agenda, and I doubt the extradition will actually happen.
By the way, did the parents of the 13 year old girl ever have second feelings about their allowing their daughter to a Hollywood Party in the first place?

[Tim Hebb]

Another case of deliriously misguided morons masquerading as dispensers of justice.

Not even the victim wants Polanski to spend any more time in jail and acknowledges the original process was a travesty of justice; this simply continues the wrongheaded trajectory.

I want every dime of my taxpayer's money back that has gone toward the "justice" system and the god-fearing hypocrites who run it and misdirect its resources.

[Martin]

I like to see the parent in jail who sent her 13-year daughter to pose nude for Hollywood money, then the judge who was punished for misconduct while sentencing director against persecutors advice and publicly calling the director obscenities before knowing the facts. What happen to sober point of view?

[kushka53]

He may have well paid for his crime in the ensuing years through leading a good life, but statutory rape is still statutory rape. Whether he has truly paid for his crime or not is for a JURY to decide, not the court of public opinion. The court system either has value or it doesn't...

[Dick Diamond]

Let the justice system in America dispense justice, not public opinion. The issue of the girl' mother, Bush, et. al, etc. has nothing to do with Roman Polanski facing American law. He fled. Does that give anyone a hint?

[Iconoclasher]

Once again america (lower-case intended) has become the laughing stock of the World. Our pathetic sense of morality has once again trumped all common sense and reason. How many million$ have been spent trying to get this guy back from France, and how much more will be spent trying him. This will be OJ and MJ all over again. What he did (as well as MJ) isn't even a crime in most Civilized Countries in the world. Even the "victim" doesn't even want it prosecuted.

[captain grumpy]

GET REAL people,dont be blinded, He did not show up to court to be sentenced...NOTHING to do with politics,religion or race. He is on the run and should be sentenced. How is it the judge stuffed up(Simon) if he just didnt turn up??
TIM, the victim was SETTLED years ago, If you had been paid money to shut up. Why would you bring it up again for people to see that money was more important than your childs rapist!!
He is a PAEDOPHILE and should be sentenced for not showing.

[Jim]

I only wish California and US Officials would enforce our immigration laws here in the Southland, and forget about Polansky.

[Angel of Justice]

It wasn't just statutory rape. That's when you have consensual sex with an underage girl. Polanski drugged a 13-year old girl and sodomized her against her will.

Rot in jail until you die, Roman Polanski. Then rot in hell forever.

[Denise]

I wish people would realize that entered into a plea bargain where he agreed to plead guilty to statutory rape. The fact is he committed forcible rape with the use of drugs. It was a violent crime, not a case of some old dude screwing a minor (which is bad in itself). His crime was horrible.

[Kell Brigan]

Just tell me where to show up for the riots/protests. Shall I make up "JAIL POLANSKI NOW" posters in three languages, or will English suffice.

Only in LA, could someone who DRUGGED a CHILD and then RAPED her have advocates.

Get a clue, folks. If he were sorry, he would have surrendered himself to the police as part of his penance and attempt to redeem himself. He's not sorry. He's still very, very sick. He's still dangerous.

Jail Polanski now. Jail Polanski now. Jail Polanski now.

[Bob Builder]

"It's about time! Let justice prevail. A convicted pedophile--however "artistically" rewarded--should never escape punishment for sexually abusing (other more reprehensible crimes were dropped against him) a 12-year-old girl who will bear the scars all her life."
---------------------------------------------------

In fact a 13 year old girl, who has reached an out-of-court settlement with Polanski and has received a full apology from him. She herself has asked that the charges now be dropped. Wasn't marriage for 12 year olds still legal in Tennessee back then ?

[Josh]

Notice even to post here you must be 13 years of age. The guy committed rape, and admitted it, that the child adopted a means to deal with it does not excuse it.

Many other girls have the same thing occur and do not recover as gracefully as the victim here.

He is an admitted rapist who fled before sentencing. Its not any more complicated than that

[s.depelteau]

You have to be kidding. Okay, this is a prime example of tax payers money wasted. This is why California is in a financial crisis. Please, the man is in his 70's, the alleged victim doesn't really advocate an arrest after all the years gone by. Someone somewhere has a personal agenda and is after Polanski for whatever silly reason. He did not use good judgement when he, alledgedly commited the crime, but honestly....thirty plus years ago is better left alone.

[tim]

He plead guilty to a lesser charge. Then, rather than facing up to his punishment, ran like a coward. I was tempted once by a young girl myself, but due to my sense of right and wrong and the law, I resisted my lustful selfishness, knowing full well that if I proceeded she would be harm immeasurably. Time, Mr. Polanski, to play the role of an honorable man.