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Another bail offer from Polanski rejected

The Swiss justice office has rejected another appeal by Roman Polanski to be released from prison because of the high risk he would flee the country.

Justice office spokesman Folco Galli on Friday said the fugitive filmmaker’s request had been received earlier in the week. He added that Polanski had made a “high bail” offer, but one that didn’t allay fears he would flee justice.

The 76-year-old filmmaker has been in Swiss custody since his arrest last month as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award from a film festival. He is fighting extradition to the US for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

The news comes a day after it was reported that 15 Californian legislators had signed a letter supporting the extradition of Polanski to Los Angeles.

State Senator Gloria Romero recently wrote the letter to Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley saying Polanski should face his past and that “no one is above the law”.

Romero said the Polanski case heightened awareness about domestic violence and its correlation to sexual assault.

swissinfo.ch and agencies

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