Roman Polanski, Oscar-winning director was arrested by police on Saturday, 26th September 2009. In 1978, Polanski fled the United States after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year old girl. A US warrant was issued for his arrest following his departure.
Rumour has it that the US, having learnt that Polanski was to appear at the Zurich Film Festival to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award, instructed Swiss officials to have him arrested upon arrival at the Zurich Airport. Polanski is now in a provisional detention in Switzerland. Ministry Spokesperson, Guido Balmer, speaking to AP said, “There was a valid arrest request and we knew when he was coming. That is why he was taken into custody.”
It has been thirty years after his exit from the US, and like his victim, Samantha Gailey, he is looking to get the case closed. Gailey, who has received a settlement, says she wants the whole thing dropped.
It is still to be seen if Polanski will still make it to courts in the United States. If it was to be so, he would first have to agree, or it would be up to the Swiss courts to decide, which would then add on months of delay.
Polanski and his lawyers have been consistently trying to get the case resolved, but Polanski has always refused to come back to the United States to make a court appearance.
Aged 76, Polanski is the director of movies including Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby. He won an Academy Award in 2003 for The Pianist, but due to his absence, the award was accepted on his behalf by Harrison Ford. Polanski is married to French actress Emanuelle Seigner and has two children.