Swiss Tipped U.S. to Polanski Trip

(AP)  Swiss authorities set in motion the arrest of fugitive director Roman Polanski in his decades-old child sex case as he traveled to the country last month, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.

A series of e-mails obtained under a public records request show the Swiss Federal Office of Justice sent an urgent fax to the U.S. Office of International Affairs on Sept. 22 stating Polanski was expected in Zurich. The director was to be feted at a film festival, and Swiss officials wanted to know if the U.S. would be submitting a request for Polanski's arrest.

It took little sleuthing to figure out Polanski would be in Zurich - the film festival had a Web site promoting its upcoming tribute to the "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown" director. The new details again raise the question of why Switzerland decided to go after Polanski now, even though the 76-year-old director was a frequent visitor to that nation, where he owns an Alpine chalet.

After receiving the tip, federal officials alerted the Los Angeles district attorney's office, which immediately began drafting an arrest warrant.

Polanski was arrested Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at the festival. He has been battling extradition ever since and on Tuesday suffered a serious setback when Switzerland's top criminal court rejected his appeal to be released from prison, citing the "high" risk that the director would try to flee again.

A Sept. 25 e-mail from the Office of International Affairs to the district attorney's office shows U.S. authorities seemed confident Polanski would not be released.

"Generally, Switzerland does not release fugitives sought for extradition," the e-mail states. "The default in Switzerland is that a fugitive will be detained until s/he is either extradited or determined by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to be non-extraditable."

Polanski's offers of bail, house arrest and electronic monitoring failed to sway the tribunal. Even his chalet in the luxury resort of Gstaad was brushed aside as insufficient collateral to guard against Polanski fleeing the country.

"The appellant has already once in 1978 eluded American criminal proceedings by traveling to Europe," the Federal Criminal Court said in its 17-page verdict, adding that Polanski's transfer to the U.S. could also cause family trauma and cost investors millions of dollars in losses.

Polanski was accused of plying a 13-year-old girl with champagne and part of a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977 and raping her. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse and fled amid a legal dispute over his sentence.

By Bradley S. Klapper

[J-J-R]

You do the crime, you pay the TIME.....

[SD92040]

This guy should do some time.....but I don't see that happening. When he hits US soil, he'll be 1. Not prosecuted by Eric Holder. 2. Pardoned by President Obama. 3. Polanski "donates" a chunk of cash to the DNC.

Sorry, I know that looks partisan as hell....but it worked for Marc Rich, and Polanski does have the money...

[one4gipper]

Polansky gave a Quaalude and alcohol to a 13 year old and then raped and sodomized her. However, Whoopi Goldberg says that this did not constitute "rape-rape". Well, Whoope, just what is rape, if this is not it?

I love Debra Winger's support of this rapist. Woody Allen's unquestioning support we can understand since he has a personal interest in the outcome of cases like this. Can Hollywood become any more repugnant? America, do we want to continue to pump money into the box office of this sick and vile culture?

[vielmann]

Taking people's words out of context to make a false point, is a lie. But you are brainwashed and listen to Limbaugh. You can't help but do that.

[SusanStoHelit]

A few support him, many more are silent because alienating any director in that business can be fatal to your career, and some others in Hollywood, that you didn't see fit to mention, speak out against Polanski - such as Kirsti Alley and Chris Rock (boy, he's got some good stuff on Polanski!).

[billpl-2009]

rapist are what rapist do

...time to go to jail, dude

[lin1945-2009]

Polanski will be extradited because he fled the U.S. so the victim need not testify in that case. If the appeal process goes as the norm then it might be three years before Polanski is jetting his way to L.A. to face the court . . . making him 79. The court process here may take another two years through new appeals on U.S. soil, making Polanski 81. If he takes a plea deal he may get only 18 months to 2 years and the court may have to take time served and release him. It is unlikely the scenario will go that way because the court is determined he will serve hard time so I imagine he will be doing a plea deal for the rape of a child rather than stand trial for the rape of a child and sodomy, along with some other charges, and he may end up agreeing to serve 5-7 years. If his health remains okay I am guessing Polanski will see freedom sometime around his 85th birthday. The people will demand he pay for his grievious crime with time spent behind bars. Polanski does not deserve leniency and I doubt he has a chance in hell of getting any. Sad end of a career and life. This is how his children will remember him. What goes around comes around.

[vielmann]

Does the court intend to retry him with new charges of child rape? I haven't seen that. He escaped without facing sentencing after already pleading. He became a fugitive and will get the jail time he deserves. Switzerland, on the other hand, is playing some kind of game, being that in the past they have been so unwilling to send some very bad criminals back to the US. I guess Obama really scared them on the banking scandal.

[Questionews]

Friggin stool-pigeon Swiss.
That's it! I'm pulling my millions out of their banks!!

[rickthomas5]

Gee, the government of two countries actually doing something together to help the masses by removing this low life from our society. What a two countries!