Poland’s Supreme Court has rejected a bid by the United States to extradite Roman Polanski.
The U.S. government wanted the filmmaker to face justice for having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl back in the 1970’s while at a photo shoot in Los Angeles. However, the case has officially come to a close with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
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At the time, Polanski was 43 while Samantha Gailey was only 13.
“We are very happy that the case is finally over,” Jan Olszewski, one of Polanski’s lawyers said while chatting with Reuters. “We hope that this ruling becomes a stimulus for the American side to perhaps use existing legal opportunities to issue a ruling in absentia and consider the penalty served.”
On Tuesday, a three-judge rejected a request made by justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro to overturn the extradition refusal decision made in a lower court.
Judge Michal Laskowski said, “We did not find a flagrant violation of the law.”
He continued by saying: “More than 38 years have passed since the incident. The victim in this case publicly forgave Roman Polanski. He paid her the monetary damages she requested.”
Ziobro made the case that the only reason the 83-year-old filmmaker was not extradited is because he is an Oscar-winning director with celebrity status.
When the case was taken to the lower court, Polanski’s team argued that he would possibly not get a fair trial in the U.S. in the event that he was extradited.
He pleaded guilty in 1977 to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with the young girl, and served a prison sentence. However, the judge let Polanski off with a deal and he only served 42 days in prison.
The director then fled the United States in the fear that the judge might change his mind and sentence him to a much longer term.
In 2013, Polanski’s victim published a book. She explained that she was made to consume alcohol, and was given a sleeping pill before being raped by Polanski at actor Jack Nicholson’s home.
“My family never asked that Polanski be punished,” she said. “We just wanted the legal machine to stop.”
Polanski now resides in France with his third wife, French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, according to Daily Mail.
Polanski’s most notable work in film includes directing 2002’s Oscar-winning film The Pianist, 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, and 2010’s The Ghost Writer. He also has at least 38 acting credits including a role in Chinatown as the “man with knife.”
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[H/T Daily Mail, The Guardian]
