Polanski offers larger cash deposit to Swiss in bail deal

 An attorney for Roman Polanski has offered Swiss justice officials a "very, very significant" amount of cash as a higher deposit in a proposed bail deal for the director, but the government has rejected the offer, news reports said.

It marks the third time the Swiss have rejected Polanski's attempts at bail.

Polanski was arrested in Zurich and faces extradition to the United States for sentencing in a sexual-assault case involving a 13-year-old girl. Polanski fled to Europe just before sentencing in that case more than 30 years ago.

Herve Temime, a lawyer for Polanski, told reporters that he felt the new cash offer -- he would not reveal the exact sum -- should be adequate to convince Swiss officials that the 76-year-old director would not flee. But Bloomberg News quoted Swiss justice official Folco Galli as rejecting the latest offer, saying the "risk of flight remains high."

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Director Roman Polanksi. Credit: Los Angeles Times archives.

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Comments

[Rocco]

Free Roman. Free Samantha.

[sancho-2]

nice try ha ha . . . welcome to the 21st century now adays only big finacial mogals can get aways with the unspeakable.

[Paula O'Reilly-Green]

What stunning arrogance!! Not to mention the utter tone-deafness of it all. It's like a weird self-destructiveness, as if RP is seeking to inflame public opinion against himself!

[Lulu]

Drugging and sodomizing a prepubescent child, then fleeing a relatively lenient sentence is very very significant too...

[pf]

Wow, now he's trying to bribe his way out? Just when I thought already a pathetic piece of crap...

[Kevin Johnson]

Why does L.A. care about this this guy? Waste of time and money - why not make a little more effort keeping scary criminals behind bars instead of letting them out because of a shortage of bed.

[Kevin Johnson]

Why does L.A. care about this this guy? Waste of time and money - why not make a little more effort keeping scary criminals behind bars instead of letting them out because of a shortage of bed.

[pasadena jag]

Polanski - the poster boy for American Justice! Give me a break. How this dreadful little man is not on his way back to the USA to serve his time for buggering a 13 year old girl and is defended by the slimy Hollywood left? --- shows the direction this country is headed. The USA is over!

[sw]

Roman Polanski is a coward. He did the crime, refused to do the time and fled. Now that it has caught up to him, he is trying to buy his way out. Good for the Swiss. He is a flight risk. Always has been, always will.

[michelle]

Only a complete idiot would let a fugitive out on bail. It is good to know that the Swiss officials dealing with this case have some sense. Clearly those defending Polanski have none!

[El Guapo de la cuidad de los angeles]

"I really,really promise I won't skip bail." Roman Polanski

[missoula]

The Swiss are right to refuse him bail, because the French are so greedy: decades of negotiations with France were not enough to bring Polanski back to America, just as decades were not enough to bring the perpetrators of Britain's "Great Train Robbery" back to Britain. To this day several of the robbers are living like kings in the south of France, spending their ill-gotten loot on champagne and pate'. So it is quite reasonable to assume that upon returning to his home in France, Polanski would be immune from prosecution and be sipping the bubbly while thumbing his nose at the justice systems of two countries at the same time. Switzerland may be a haven for tax evaders, but France is a haven for rich criminals of any kind.

[Richard Ivey]

And the witchhunt goes on!

[megan]

And rape is a very very significant offense. And fleeing sentencing is a very very significant act of stupid. Sorry your money can't buy you out of it Roman.

[silent bob's friend bob]

Who are we kidding?

The Swiss alerted the US to Polanski's plans and then arrested him in a pitiful attempt to curry favor with the US in the aftermath of overwhelming US pressure with respect to Swiss secret banking accounts.

There isn't enough gold on the planet (well, at least not in Polanski's pockets) to persuade them he isn't a flight risk. They will hold him in lockup until he is handed over to the US.

Period.

[Tom]

Witchhunt?

[JuJu]

I'm so glad the Swiss are denying his offer. Why should he get special treatment. This man is a pedophile and should be treated like one and be locked behind bars.

[twitter.com/cavscout90]

@missourla...How right you are! France always thumbs its nose at the rest of western civilization. Many members of terrorist organizations, as well as, wanted terrorists live in exile in France. ie. Red Brigade, Fascists from Italy's anni di pombo, PLO, etc...Roman is just a small lint aon France's lap of luxury for the world's criminals.

Viva La France!! ROFL

[Dirk]

If we've learned ANYTHING, Polanski doesn't take bail seriously.

[Chuck]

Hey, maybe it is a witchhunt, but at least this time they really found a witch and THEY AREN'T GOING TO LET HIM GO.

Nahh, the fact is Roman got caught in something bigger than his own ego. Hard to believe, but true. The Swiss need to rebuild their good image (tax evasion, stolen ww2 money, lax on foreign criminals) more than they need to protect him.

If he has anything significant to say, let him say it in a US court. If he ever gets out, he can make a movie about the whole terrible experience.

[Lupe]

when is bush and cheney going to jail?

[BaDaBing]

WHAT STUNNING ARROGANCE ON THE PART OF THE SWISS TO REFUSE ROMAN'S MONEY. AT LEAST IT WAS EARNED THE OLD FASHIONED WAY. THE NAZI-LOVING SWISS HAD NO PROBLEM AT ALL TAKING MONEY FROM THE CRIMINAL NAZIS, LAUNDERING THE STUFF FOR THE COLOMBIAN CARTELS, ETC. IF THIS WASN'T A FRONT PAGE STORY (AND A TIRED ONE AT THAT), THE SWISS WOULD BE CLAWING EACH OTHER TO GET TO THE DOUGH. THE SWISS TAKING THE MORAL HIGH GROUND IS A BAD JOKE...

[kyarukirai]

What a scumbag. A typical rich person who thinks he can buy his way out of anything.

[Bob in Santa Monica]

Just a week ago the Joe Mozingo article in this paper ended by saying: "Polanski remains in custody fighting his extradition. His attorneys said he will go bankrupt if he is held much longer." And yet he keeps offering more and more money to the Swiss to let him out of jail?

This criminal is plenty scary enough for me to want to see the DA stay up at night working to put him in prison. No amount of expense is too great to put that devious, smirking child rapist behind bars, hopefully for the rest of his life. Whoever doesn't think Polanski is a "scary criminal" plainly isn't a parent, or at least they shouldn't be.

[Can't buy justice!]

The fact that Polanski thought he could pay his way out and think one of the richest countries in the world would go for a "cash offer" is a joke! Like the Swiss really want to infuriate the American people. They are a neutral country. What did Polanski think they were going to do?