L.A. authorities are trying to clarify the status of Roman Polanski’s extradition to the U.S. after a Swiss justice official said the country won’t extradite
the director to the United States until L.A. courts resolves related legal disputes.
A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office
said in a statement that it was looking into “somewhat
conflicting news reports from Switzerland”
over the extradition process.
“At present, this rests with the Swiss courts,” spokeswoman Sandi
Gibbons said.
A Swiss official said Friday that Polanski should remain under house arrest at his
Alpine lodge until the courts in California resolve various legal
issues.
"When the question is still open, why should he be extradited?" justice official Rudolf
Wyss told the Associated Press. "As long as the question is still open,
our decision depends on that."
Last month, a judge rejected Polanski’s request to be sentenced in absentia, scuttling the
director’s latest bid to end his three-decade-old child sex case.
The judge hoped that such a sentencing would allow his lawyers to
lay out evidence of judicial misconduct in his case and secure him a
sentence of no further time behind bars. Although a state appeals panel had suggested that Polanski
be sentenced in absentia as the director is facing extradition
proceedings in Switzerland, Judge Peter Espinoza said he was not
bound by the higher court’s suggestion.
Polanski’s defense quickly vowed to appeal.
Polanski fled the U.S. just before he was set to be sentenced for
having sex with the girl, contending that the original judge in the
case, the late
Laurence Rittenband, reneged on a promise to count the time the
director spent in state prison before sentencing as his entire
punishment.
Swiss officials have said Polanski faced two years in prison if sent back to L.A.
Asked about the Swiss official’s statement, U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said, “According to my folks, it’s still a pending case.”
— Harriet Ryan and Shelby Grad
Photo: A 1978 Los Angeles Times cover.