Roman Polanski faces 2 years in prison if returned to L.A., Swiss officials say
Last month, prosecutors said the proceedings should pick up exactly where they
left off in 1978 -- with a judge sentencing Polanski for a statutory
rape charge. "He will appear before the court and the court will decide
what his sentence is," said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the
district attorney's office, told The Times in late September, after Polanski was arrested in Zurich.
Legal experts, however, said Polanski has options beyond begging for
leniency. There are a number of legal maneuvers, such as withdrawing
his guilty plea, that could result in the case being dropped entirely
or in a sentence of no prison time.
Polanski's attorney have said he will fight extradition from Zurich.
--Shelby Grad
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