U.S. asks Switzerland to extradite Polanski

The United States has asked Switzerland to extradite film director Roman Polanski after he fled sentencing for child sex offence charges with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, the Swiss Justice Department said on Friday.

"The U.S. extradition request is based on a warrant issued by the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles on 1 February 1978, on which date Polanski had failed to appear before the judge as was required by his bail conditions," the department said in a statement.

The 76-year-old Oscar-winning director, who holds dual French and Polish citizenship, was arrested at the request of the United States when he flew into Switzerland on Sept. 26 to receive a lifetime achievement prize at a film festival.


Reuters Last Mod: 23 Ekim 2009, 13:01