Poland Says ���No��� to U.S. Request for Extradition of Director Roman Polanski
It appears that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski will remain out of the reach of U.S. justice for the rest of his days. On Tuesday, Poland���s Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that said Polanski would not be subject to extradition from that country. With this latest decision, the 83-year-old Polanski can now plan to live out his remaining years a free man, unburdened by any worry that he might be returned to the United States to face the legal consequences on which he skipped out several decades before.
For the last 39 years, Polanski has remained a wanted man in America in connection with a well-known case involving sex with a minor. Although there is a valid Interpol warrant that could potentially effect his extradition from 188 countries, he has managed to remain free by living and working in three nations that have seen fit to prevent his return to the United States: France, Switzerland, and Poland.
According to Fox News, Jan Olszewski, a member of Polanski���s legal team, said about the ruling by Poland���s Supreme Court: ���Game over. The case is definitively closed. We won in a fair struggle. We feel satisfaction.���
The legal machinations over the last four decades stem from an incident in 1977 when Polanski was arrested for the rape of a 13-year-old girl following a photo shoot. Although Polanski pleaded guilty to statutory rape, he was looking at only probation after a deal struck with the prosecution. However, when word reached the film director that the judge was prepared to reject the plea agreement, he skipped the country before sentencing, fleeing to Paris. Since that time, the U.S. has persistently sought Polanski���s extradition to America.
Roman Polanski���s 2002 film The Pianist earned him his first Academy Award for Best Director. He was nominated in the same category for Chinatown (1974) and Tess (1979), and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for 1968���s Rosemary���s Baby.
By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large
