Polanski likely to be extradited to U.S., Swiss officials told L.A. prosecutors

Swiss officials told U.S. authorities earlier this month that Roman Polanski will likely be returned to Los Angeles to face sentencing in the child sex case he fled three decades ago, according to e-mail records made public by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

“While the Swiss officials cannot speak for the judge, the extradition will likely be ordered based upon the facts submitted in our papers,” a deputy district attorney in the extradition services department, Diana Carbajal, wrote to her supervisor two weeks ago.

The e-mail related an Oct. 5 conversation between officials at the U.S. Justice Department and their Swiss counterparts concerning Polanski, who is jailed in Zurich and fighting extradition.

The district attorney’s office sent a packet summarizing the case, in which a 13-year-old girl accused the director of rape and sodomy, to Washington last week and Justice officials are to deliver it to Swiss prosecutors. Swiss officials also urged American prosecutors to address allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct leveled by Polanski’s attorneys in the papers sent to Switzerland, according to the e-mail.

Polanski’s lawyers have said the judge who handled the case in 1978 had improper discussions with a prosecutor that led to the director effectively receiving a double sentence.

Polanski was arrested Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to attend a film festival. According to the e-mail records, American officials were tipped off to the director’s trip by the Swiss federal office of justice. Officials “are urgently inquiring as to whether the U.S. will be submitting a (provisional arrest) request for Polanski,” a Justice Department attorney, Nicholas Marsh, wrote to Carbajal Sept. 22. Four days later, Polanski was taken into custody as he stepped off an airplane.

--Harriet Ryan

Photo: Director Roman Polanski. Credit: Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[Bob in Santa Monica]

Double sentence???!!!!! You must be joking! This monster needs to spend the rest of his life in prison for what he did to that girl, and maybe another 30 years for leaving this country and denying the people of California any justice at all.

[dave]

'extradited'

[dave]

ignore last post- 'extradicted' works.

[Tanya Wenck]

I know its not going to change anything but... it still feels good to say that LA judges or whoever does it should be ASHAMED of "terrorizing" a person like Roman Polanski, especially taking to consideration his age. Whatever he has done in the past he has most defenately paid for as he is most defenately not a person without a conscious. I can physically feel the pain for what is being done to him now. If I was allowed to I would go and stay in prison with him and take care of him and try to comfort him by saying that most people do not have any compassion and most of the time they do not really know what they are doing or even if they do they do it for all the wrong reasons. Roman Polanski has devoted his life to PEOPLE and look what PEOPLE are doing to him now! I also have a feeling that he might not make it through this nightmare! Get back to your senses!!! Do not kill Roman Polanski like German Nazis tried years ago!!!

[Richard Ivey]

Interesting that Americans slaughtered millions of Vietnamese while Polanski was being prosecuted for his teen sex crimes and yet these Americans managed to escape international justice. What nerve!

[Kay Ebeling]

In the USA, pedophile Catholic priests committed worse crimes, many with similar MO's - drugs, isolating the child from parents, etc. If the USA really wants to prosecute pedophiles, indict Cardinal Roger Mahony of L.A. Extradite pedophile aiding and abbettors who are now hiding out at the Vatican, such as William Levada and Bernard Law. It's easy to go after Polanski, let's see some real muscle in law enforcement, go after the real source of most of the pedophilia in the USA, the Catholic Church. . .

Read cityofangels5 dot blogspot dot com for more information, also bishopaccounatability dot org database of accused priests lists five thousand priests from A to Z.

[MrNiceGuy]

@ Tanya Wenk: I for one would be glad to see you along side of him in a cell if you think that will "lessen his pain". You're right: most people like myself feel no compassion for a child-raping coward. I hope he rots in jail with the rest of the predatory scum.

[Sharon]

I honestly fail to see the point of putting him in jail.

Extradite him - yes, punish him, yes - after all, there is the additional charge of fleeing the country and jumping bail. But the man does not pose a threat to society (he has led a blameless life for 32 years, and it is useless bringing up Natassia Kinski as that relationship was consensual, she was of legal age and they remain good friends to this day). He is 76 years old. Geimer herself wants charges dropped for her own peace of mind and to avoid another surge of unwanted media attention. Both Geimer and Polanski were treated very unfairly by a very corrupt judge and a bizarre media circus back in 1978.

The blindly furious lynch mob needs to step back and gain some perspective. I'm looking at you, Cokie Roberts.

I have a feeling that once again Polanski is being cast as some sort of scapegoat by the public. They need to see a celebrity who has "evaded justice" finally being brought to his knees and being raped/killed in prison, from some comments that I've read, to satisfy their own bloodlust.

[Fan of justice]

Well, of course he'll be extradited. Polanski is out of favors and soon he'll be out of luck. Tough.

[Barb]

Tanya read this. FYI to all these fanatical Polanski defenders: Roman Polanski is not Jewish, repeat he is not Jewish. His mother was a Catholic! His parents were put in a Nazi concentration camp because of being "degenerate" Now, this could mean anything from painting an abstract picture to beastiality(?), but it was not because they were Jewish. Polanski escaped the camps and was taken in by his Catholic relatives. I do believe that Polanski has a mental illness that made him act as a pedophile and perhaps he inherited this. But for those who are defending him because of loyalty to the Torah should not be bound by religion. He is not Jewish by birth, actions, or beliefs.

[El Guapo de la cuidad de los angeles]

Welcome back to the country which disapproves sodomizing 13 year olds!

[Fred Keyes]

It will be a real shame if Polanski gets off on a technicality.

In any event, his high-profile supporters need to be publicized more and boycotted assiduously.

[ucl2]

You rape one of our children, you will come for you even if it takes a lifetime.

[Lindsey]

If he isn't held accountable, isn't that sending the message that if you flee the country long enough to become old you should no longer be held responsible? Not to mention the continuing double standard of the rich and famous. If he was Joe Schmo the rapist who skipped out of town I doubt people would be quite as two sided...

[ucl2]

Correction, You rape one of our children, WE will come for you even if it takes a lifetime.

[Victoria]

Er, Tanya, how has Polanski "paid" for what his crimes by living the good life in Europe, making movies, marrying and having children?

How has he paid for his crimes by breaking the law by fleeing the country? How would you like it if your perpetrator did that? No one is above the law and he made a huge error by running away. If he'd just been a man and faced the music thirty years ago, none of this would have happened.

As for his "conscience", are you aware that he gave a television interview in 1978 - after he fled- in which he stated that the sex was consensual?

[Steve Davies]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/extradicted

No results found for extradicted:
Did you mean extradited?

[Patrick Joyce]

extradited

[kenny d]

There must be more than the public knows. He was a cash cow in hollywood. That means big money and all the influence it brings. If he banged a little girl that bad in america. I don't care about Russia, China, India or the moon. Here we have laws plan and simple.
My mother onced worked for a very big producer of day time television in the 60,s. I can't tell you what a time I had convicing my friends at Budlong Elementary on 60th street between Vermount and Normandie I could go on the show.
Well it was'ent until years latter my mother told me why she would not allow us to associate with the producer. Why, BECAUSE WHEN SHE WENT TO WORK IN THE MORNING THE PARENTS WOULD BE THERE PICKING UP THERE KIDS AFTER A NIGHT OVER. Now my mother cleaned the house which included changing the sheets. You put in the rest..

[Jack]

Consensual? If I were liquored up and given qualude I would probably have consensual sex with Polanski. (I am a straight 65 year old male.)

[Scott H]

Based on much of the comments people have left, Roman Polanski should be left alone because so much time has passed since his crime took place. Based on that we should leave Osama Bin Laden alone because he has managed to avoid the US for the past 8+ years. Give me a break. Polanski should face the music and then after serving his sentence he should be deported. And the US State department has a policy of NOT granting a Visa to child predators. Remember, he renounced his US citizenship.
Hey Tanya - Bin Laden makes movies/videos too! Should we leave him alone because of that???

[Drew]

He apparently started dating Nastassja Kinski when she was only 15. Who is next for Polanski?

[Patrick Joyce]

Correct the spelling -- unless, of course, you don't mind looking foolish. It's not likely that the Swiss will extradict Polanksi. They might extradite him

[missoula]

Roman Polanksi is a great director, and also a sick rapist who fled from the law. Even by his lawyer's account in this article, he may have been double-sentenced. So? What about appealing the "second" half of the sentence while you serve the first? Now it looks like he will be extradited and, since he will certainly be sentenced for fleeing the country, die in jail. And he deserves it. We have laws, and they apply to rich, occasionally, as well as the rest of us.

Boy, when Woody Allen is defending your sexual antics, you know you're really in trouble!

[Phantom of The Opera]

Swiss Officials are making a Sacrificial Lamb out of a French Citizen Roman Polanski.

Not in the interests of California Justice but more for their own selfish gain.

The Swiss Justice System will have difficulty in reaching a fair decision since they are not privy to the California Justice System that Polanski faced 32 years ago.

For instance the Injustice of the Santa Monica Court Laurence J. Rittenband who abused his power with Polanski in regards to threats of deportation or longer prison term - seems to be ignored.

Roman Polanski flew away from Los Angeles in 1978 not because he didn’t want to face his sentence but because he wanted to be treated fairly and he was not being treated fairly by the California Justice System.

The Documentary Polanski Wanted and Desired shows that County of Los Angeles Santa Monica Court's illegally abused its power with staged hearings for the press - with the outcome of the staged hearing known in advance– with Polanski’s attorney Douglas Dalton, the prosecutor Roger Gunson and the Judge Laurence J. Rittenband acting and going through the motions – and pretending that they did not know the outcome of the so called "hearing" that the Judge told them to stage for the press.

Also the Judge was illegally threatening Polanski with threats of deportation, and if Polanski did not agree to deportation then all of a sudden he was being threatened to a longer prison term, not because of the original crime but because he went to the Oktober Fest in Germany and someone took his picture sitting next to girls. But sitting next to girls in Germany or having a photograph taken sitting next to girls - is not a crime and does not and should not enhance Polanski's sentence!

The Santa Monica Courthouse Judicial system is not able to deal with sexual crimes fairly, it is extremely unjust and broken. The Santa Monica Courthouse is filled with corruption and discrimination in sex cases, regardless of whether you are famous or not, regardless of whether you are accused of sexual assault or whether you are the victim of it.

In addition there is more discrimination against French Citizen Roman Polanski than meets the eye, because if you happen to be American and work for the State of California and you are a sexual predator the State will pay for your attorneys and all those that assist you against the victim of sexual assault, some will even be false witnesses against your sexual assault victim - and will be permitted to assault and batter the sexual assault victim - so you can continue to deny that it ever happened.

So on the contrary Polanski is not being treated like everyone else –and his fame is being used like a MANTRA to disguise the fact Polanski is not being treated like everyone else and has instead - been discriminated against because of his fame, (even if Judge Rittenband was initially trying to be helpful by allowing Roman Polanski to postpone his sentence and leave the country to make a movie).

But later on - Judge Rittenband illegally bullied Polanski by wanting to take away Polanski's rights to contest deportation which the Judge is not allowed to do.

[TheBigPicture]

Who is that idiot waving at...every time I see a picture of him, he's waving...it's like he trying to coax a 12 year old out of the audience and get her into his bedroom...it's very disturbing...doesn't he ever give up....

[Caroline]

In regards to the article where it states, ‘Swiss officials also urged American prosecutors to address allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct leveled by Polanski’s attorneys”

The Swiss Justice Court only needs to view Marina Zenovich's documentary movie Polanski: Wanted and Desired since Polanski did not receive fair treatment by Judge Rittenband in Santa Monica County of Los Angeles Courthouse in 1977 & 78.

After Roman Polanski had already served “42” days in Chino prison - the movie explains succinctly why he flew away from Injustice in Los Angeles, a theme he had to revisit in real life - after directing "China Town", the movie several years earlier.

In Polanski: Wanted and Desired – documentary footage is shown of Santa Monica Judge Laurence J. Rittenband talking about deportation for Roman Polanski.

Deportation was not part of Santa Monica Judge, Judge Laurence J. Rittenband's jurisdiction so the Judge shouldn’t have been threatening Polanski with deportation.

In addition another aspect of the illegal coercion was this - if Polanski did not agree to this condition of deportation- then the Judge would renege on the prior agreement with Polanski, and order an unspecified but longer prison term.

But Roman Polanski already had “served” 42 unappealable days at Chino prison in the “psychiatric” wing. And as an aside - there does seem to be something unconstitutional about a California prison sentence that is not appealable?

So Roman Polanski flew far away from LA after having served 42 days at Chino, not because he didn’t want to serve the remaining 48 days that had been agreed to previously, but because he was facing coercion, an uncertain prison term and injustice from Judge Laurence J. Rittenband.

Nobody could guarantee what Judge Rittenband would do next, and Polanski didn't want to be at the Judge's mercy once he found the Judge was engaging in illegal conduct by coercing and inducing Polanski agreement to deportation by threatening him with a longer prison term if he didn't agree to deportation. And in this way the Judge put Roman Polanski between a rock and a hard place.

The Documentary Polanski Wanted and Desired also shows that Judge Rittenband conducted phony hearings that were staged for the press.
Polanski's attorney Dalton and Polanski's prosecutor Roger Gunson confirm this to be true.

Also Judge Laurence J. Rittenband wanted a longer prison term for Polanski not because of the original crime that he was accused of - but because Roman Polanski was photographed at the Oktober Fest in Germany sitting next to girls. But sitting next to girls is not a crime and this does not entitle Santa Monica Judge Laurence J. Rittenband to enhance Roman Polanski's sentence .

After all it was Judge Rittenband that permitted Roman Polanski to leave the country in the first place to make a movie, and then Judge Rittenband apparently resented it after seeing the photograph of Polanski sitting next to girls in Germany's Oktober Fest.

How far can the Santa Monica Judicial system reach to penalize Polanski for sitting next to German girls at the Oktober Fest ? Its ridiculous.

And if it is a California crime for for Roman Polanski to sit next to German girls at the Oktober Fest, then he should have been warned before going to Europe, or the Judge should have not permitted Polanski to make a movie before his sentencing.

But Judge Rittenband, (an elected California Official) in the end - was only concerned with how he looked to the press and the California public. He had a balancing act to perform and so Roman Polanski had committed a crime just by having his photo taken sitting next to girls at the Oktoberfest in Germany.

It is obvious that the Santa Monica Courthouse Judicial system is not able to deal with sexual crimes fairly, and it is an unjust system and broken.

The Santa Monica Courthouse is filled with corruption and discrimination in sex cases, regardless of whether you are famous or not, regardless of whether you are accused of consensual sex with an underage girl or whether you are have been victimized by sexual assault, sexual discrimination culminating in assault and battery in a courtroom in Santa Monica Courthouse.

In a sense Roman Polanski is being discriminated against because if he was Californian and worked for the State the State would have been more inclined to assist in covering up his statutory rape, through perjury and false witnesses, and more staged hearings and even pay for his lawyers so as to cover up the offensive battery.

In addition Polanski is being discriminated against by the Swiss and by the California Justice system and the press because of his fame, because of his movies such as Rosemary’s Baby and China Town, because of what the Manson Family did to his American family (where Polanski was disgustingly victimized over and over again, and he is not responsible for his American Family's murder)

And because Polanski flew in the face of injustice when Judge Rittenband began to illegally coerce Polanski to agree to deportation, which he actually complied with - in flying away from this insanity.

[Tanya Wenck]

It was real fun to read all the reactions to my comment!
The one I like the most was somebody`s wish for me to rut in jail with Roman Polanski. Well that would be very unfair as I have never done anything! On the other hand if that is the only way to spend time with such an interesting and extremely talented person I might go for it!!!
The worst one was comparing Roman Polanski to Bin Ladin. Well... that was really way too much! Roman Polanski is one of the most talented Directors that ever lived! Everybody should be thankful for the movies he gave us - real master pieces. When it comes to remark about his "Jewish origin I really did not get it! Nazis killed a lot of different people, not only Jews! Besides that Roman Polanski does have Jewish blood. What I meant was that at the beginning of his life he got almost killed by Nazis and now towards the end of his life (if the insanity does not stop) he might be indirectly killed by American Justice System.
Luckily enough we do not have the same corrupted Justice system in my country as the one I saw in US when I worked there as a Court Interpreter. Besides that US is one of the few barbaric countries left in the World that still practices Death Penalty - Murder by the State. Maybe Roman Polanski fled US because he understood that the Justice system "does not work very well" there.
I also think "real horrible rapists" that he has been compared to do commit the same crime over and over again. Ask any police detective about it - they know its a fact. How come he has never done it again? Besides that we will never know for sure "what happened".

Okey, okey, okey I am not going to say anything anymore - Just one more thing and that is that I am SO happy to be SO far away!!! I swear that I love USA, but... sometimes it just gets too much for me. I guess we Europeans should not place comments in LA Times. Or what do you People think???

"Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life" - Sophia loren