Swiss Court Accepts Polanski's $4.5M Bail Request
Will Roman Polanski spend the holidays at his mountain chalet in Gstaad? That could well be the case after Polanski’s latest bail offer, this time to the tune of $4.5 million, was accepted by a Swiss court Wednesday, although the 76-year-old director is still considered a flight risk as he awaits possible extradition to the United States. –KA
“L.A. Now” in The Los Angeles Times:
Legal experts said the bail is likely to lengthen what is expected to be a fierce battle over whether Polanski should be extradited to Los Angeles to face sentencing for unlawful intercourse with a 13-year-old girl more than three decades ago.
The decision also raises other questions, given that Polanski fled from the U.S. just before his sentencing in 1978. Swiss justice officials have repeatedly denied his bail requests, saying he’s a flight risk.
Under the terms of the bail, Polanski would be restricted to a chalet he owns in Gstaad, a ski resort in the foothills of Mt. Blanc. The town has long been known as a celebrity hangout, with David Niven, Richard Burton and Roger Moore among its frequent visitors in the past.