A United States court has rejected an appeal by film director Roman Polanski, under house arrest in Switzerland, to be tried in absentia in a 1978 underage sex case.
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The decision paves the way for his extradition but Swiss justice officials are waiting for further information from the US before deciding whether to carry out the extradition order.
Polanski is wanted in California for sentencing, having fled the country for France three decades ago.
The 76-year-old was picked up by Swiss authorities on an international arrest warrant in September at Zurich airport and is under house arrest on bail in his chalet in Gstaad.
A California state appeals court on Thursday upheld the decision of a Los Angeles judge in January that ruled Polanski must return to the US before he can be sentenced.
The appellate panel found Polanski “failed to demonstrate” that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza lacked the discretion to refuse his request to remain abroad while the case against him was concluded.
A spokeswoman for Polanski’s lawyers said they had no comment on whether there would be further appeals.
If Switzerland moves to extradite Polanski, he will have 30 days to appeal against the decision with the Federal Criminal Court. If he loses the appeal he could take the case to the Federal Court, although the country’s top court does not usually cover extradition cases.
Polanski pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with a minor but fled the country for France in 1978 before sentencing.
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Polanski extradition on hold
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The Swiss justice office said on Friday that it would be pointless to extradite Polanski while he is still trying to get his case heard in absentia. The Franco-Polish director fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He was picked up by Swiss authorities in September at…
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On Monday an appeal court rejected his bid to have a three-decades-old child-sex case tossed out of court but suggested legal options that could lead to his freedom. Although the California 2nd District Court of Appeals rejected a request from both Polanski and his victim, Samantha Geimer, to have the 32-year-old case dismissed outright, it…
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But Polanski will remain in jail in Zurich until the Federal Justice Office decides whether to file an appeal. It has ten days to do so. On Wednesday evening Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told Swiss television she saw no reason to appeal against the court’s decision. In a statement, the court said it accepted Polanski’s…
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Well after he became a fugitive, the French-Polish filmmaker would come to the upmarket resort town to ski and live what locals say was largely a normal life. He hit the slopes with friends Jack Nicholson and Gunter Sachs. He mingled with townsfolk and eventually bought a modest chalet there. “He was always a very…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.