Sarkozy criticizes arrest of Roman Polanski

The arrest of Roman Polanski was "not a good administration of justice," French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

Sarkozy is the latest -- and most senior -- French official to raise questions about the case against Polanski, who was taken into custody in Zurich, Switzerland, earlier this month for extradition to Los Angeles. Polanski fled L.A. three decades ago to avoid sentencing after pleading guilty in the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl.

In an interview with Le Figaro, Sarkozy noted Polanski's age.

"I understand that people are shocked by the gravity of the accusations against Roman Polanski," he told the paper. "But I add that it is not a good administration of justice to do this 32 years after the facts when the person concerned is today 76 years old."

Attorneys for Polanski are lobbying U.S. officials not to extradite him.

A team of American attorneys for Polanski met with a deputy assistant attorney general and other Justice Department officials Oct. 2 and presented them with arguments against returning the director to the U.S. to face sentencing, according to a letter included in an appellate court filing.

His supporters have questioned the timing of the arrest, noting that Polanski has been to Switzerland many times and even has a chalet at a Swiss resort.

But Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf insisted that authorities never knew Polanski traveled to Switzerland until L.A. prosecutors informed them that the director planned to attend the festival.

--Shelby Grad

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Comments

[Irene]

Polanski did not do anything unnatural in 70-ies.
His so called "crime" in so uncertain that people all over the world feel abused by strange arrest.
Around everybody there is a lot of crime cases and nobody worried, no public activity and blogs....
There are a lot of cases of falsely accused people.
In Polanski case hatred expressed on ome blogs is generated by few frustrated losers, thirsty of vindication because
Mr.Polanski is famous, talanted, rich, smart.Those envious frustrated losers are dreaming to see him as loser also.
No way!He may lose something, but in another way,his way, not like hatred failures.

[aeiou]

The most shocking thing for me about the Polanski-case is the wave of merciless and fanatic hatred of the American public, which is most obvious in the comment sections like here. I think Polanski should be prosecuted but judged with mildness, but reading the comments here I guess Polanski can not expect to be treated with mildness, that's why I am against an extradiction. There are lots of reasons why this man would deserve to be looked upon in a differentiated light : he is a man who educates people by his films as a humanist, a man who lost in the most cruel way a loved one by murderer (which probably deeply disturbed his actions regarding the child abuse), a man who is about to be prosecuted in a case that has no more accusant (even the victim does not want to get him sentenced anymore) and last not least the case is over 30 years old. I do not want Polanski to get sentenced by the US justice in the same way I would not like to see Salman Rushdi getting sentenced by an extremist muslimic court. All this stupid hatred has to stop.

[vincent lear]

"But Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf insisted that authorities never knew Polanski traveled to Switzerland"...

Come on, he owns a house in the mountains there, he paid for that house and he still pays taxes. Yet, the Swiss legal system does not know if a citizen sought by an international warrant is currently on their soil or not, even when borders are open due to Schengen treaty.

What a bunch of morons and hypocrisies.

I exactly agree with Sarkozy which is telling more than you think between the lines - timing is not coincidental and this is a part of deal between Switzerland and US in exchange of softening the restrictions the later sought after the banking scandal concerning US citizens loading stash of non taxed cash on offshore accounts in Switzerland.

As for Polanski, he is a scapegoat - as always

[Schweitzer123]

The case had been settled over 30 years ago when an LA judge was induced by illegal ex parte contacts from prosecutors to renege on the bargain. He didn't have to approve and could have sent the case back for trial, but instead he was induced under the table to impose a sentence not contemplated by any of the settling parties. The real reason now behind the actions of Cooley and the Swiss woman justice minister, who by tradition is accustomed to pacifying Nazis like Cooley and his gang and the IRS, is to crucify another Jew. Still another modern day Nazi, Lopez, of the LA Times, saw to it the Jew could not get a fair trial in LA by publicizing selected salacious details of an inadmissible, un-crossexamined Grand Jury "transcript", that Lopez used for a fantasy source for masturbation in the men's room during the paid time time he was gloating through the details at the LA Times' expense. Admit it! LA and its south of the border majority with the assistance of the now right-wing LA Times are engaged in converting the US into the Nazi Germany of the 21st century.

[Austin furtado]

all you nutters trying to be populists saying that he should be tried for a case 30+ years ago ,remember this is not a clear cut case in the first place if you go thru the facts. This isn't black & white case and you guys know it but yet keapin on blah blah blah. No one talks about the girls mother's involvement with her daugheters progess as a model as she was an aspiring model and we all know how that works...norms or sexual codes have changed over a period of time and im aware of the same but someting 30 odd years ago ???? and secodly just because he's famous you guys are hounding him infact his fame is the reason for this witch hunt....unless u mean to say tha if the guy was a nobody you'd even bother knoing there was such a case. Just get off your high righteous pedestal cause it smacks or reeks or HYPOCRITISM....

[Austin furtado]

and i might add that there have been 02 out of court settlements done and we do not know the sums hence being paid or accepting an out of court settlement means something isn't it ? or you just keep paying and expect to be prosecuted ....just goes to tell more about the victim than the convict

[Barb]

My comment is in response to Caroline. I am also aware that Susan Atkins died two days before Polanski was arrested, but I have a different take on it. Atkins said repeatedly for 30 years or more that she did not kill Sharon Tate. Bugliosi, Tex Watkins, and many others have said she did not kill anyone. At her last parole hearing she was totally incapacitated, complete paralysis from brain cancer and only wanting to die forgiven by society. Atkins was in no condition to hurt anyone, but she was denied parole because Sharon Tates sister insisted that no mercy be given. "I will pray for her when she dies, but as long as she lives she should be kept in a controlled environment." As a crazy,druggie, 19 year old Atkins said she had no mercy for Tate, but as an adult she was deeply sorry for her arrogant statements to get attention. Sharon Tates sister went back to the proverbial "Eye for an Eye" kind of justice and now she dares to ask for mercy for Polanski. Polanski is a repeat offender and a sexual predator of children that has evaded justice for years.
If you want vendetta justice then you must be willing to take that vendetta on to yourself when guilty. Have you ever heard of the furies, Caroline? I believe Atkins to be a fury now. She did her time and she will make sure everyone else does theirs too. God has the capacity to forgive and show mercy and he can handle the crimes of Roman Polanski, but while he is alive he should be in a controlled environment. Karma is a rhymes with witch!

[Get_the_priorities_straight]

Maybe western governments try to allocate the People's resources to helping VICTIMS in need? This whole thing is sooo typical of western society, giving the easy parking ticket to Shaquille O'Neal in L.A. rather than solving the traffic problems of the city. The victim settled and wants this behind her. The guy is 76 and did this 30 years ago, without being a threat to society. Isn't there any more productive use of government resources? How about all the arabs forcing themselves on 13 year old wives? How about all those VICTIMS? Who's helping them? Oh ok, Bush probably, by bombing the **** out of Afghanistan.... Nice job by western society as a whole and the US of A in particular! The real crime in this development is the misalocation of public resources for the political benefit of select public persons. Who can prosecute those people? Can we, the People, bomb those wasters of puclic resources for personal benefit in any way? I'm willing to pay...

[Barb]

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.

[Blixa]

"I understand that people are shocked by the gravity of the accusations against Roman Polanski,"

To Sarkozy - it is not an accusation, he plead guilty under a plea agreement. It is not a good administration of justice to NOT extradite people who commit sexually violent crimes against children.

In France apparantly the wealthy and powerful are not held accountable. That, Monsieur Sarkozy is the very definition of injustice!

[Deepti]

They wouldn't have had to administer justice 32 years late if the pig concerned hadn't fled the country like a coward. Personally I think he should be in for life.

[Diana]

Barb has sympathy for Susan Atkins who was convicted of murdering Roman Polanski's American wife and child.

It is strange that Susan Atkins died two days before Roman Polanski was arrested. And it seems to be too much of a coincidence.

Susan Atkins may have wanted forgiveness from society and who can blame her for that wish, but that wish is irrelevant to the Polanski case.

Susan Atkins action to murder Polanski's wife and child should not be compared to Polanski's actions.

This is because there is quite a difference between allegedly making love and/or taking advantage of a 13 year old girl

and killing the lovely California girl Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski's unborn child. as there is no life left after that