Roman Polanski Faces US Extradition All Over Again

Roman Polanski faces yet another attempt to be extradited to the U.S., where he has been a fugitive after pleading guilty in 1977 to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro has asked Poland’s Supreme Court to annul a decision by a court in Krakow from last October which ruled that Polish law forbids Polanski’s extradition, according to the Associated Press. In November, prosecutors said they found no grounds to challenge the decision.

Ziobro assumed office late last year, after the ruling, and has argued that the Oscar-winning filmmaker should not be shielded from prosecution because of his fame.

Also Read: Gene Gutowski, Producer of Polanski Films and Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 90

In a statement, Ziobro’s office argued that the Krakow court’s decision defied a Polish-U.S. extradition agreement, under which “the defendant should be handed over to the United States.”

Polanski, the director of films such as “Chinatown” and “Tess,” pleaded guilty in 1977 of having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles. He was charged with six offenses, including rape by use of drugs and sodomy.

After serving 42 days in jail as part of a 90-day plea deal, Polanski fled the U.S. for France.

Also Read: Roman Polanski’s Victim Applauds Polish Ruling Denying Extradition

Last year, the Krakow judge ruled that the director had served his punishment in U.S. jail term and later for 10 months — partly under house arrest — in Switzerland in 2009-2010 when the U.S. unsuccessfully sought his extradition from that country.

Polanski won an Academy Award for best director for his 2002 Holocaust drama “The Pianist,” which he filmed in Warsaw.

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Gene Gutowski, Producer of Polanski Films and Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 90

Roman Polanski’s Victim Applauds Polish Ruling Denying Extradition