We have no idea why the Swiss are keeping him!
District Attorney Steve Cooley is pissed that Switzerland will not release Roman Polanski to California for sentencing, but if he is arrested anywhere else, extradition is imminent.
Cooley said:
“I am deeply disappointed that the Swiss authorities denied the request to extradite Roman Polanski. Our office complied fully with all of the factual and legal requirements of the extradition treaty and requests by the U.S. and Swiss Departments of Justice and State.
We will discuss with the Department of Justice the extradition of Roman Polanski if he’s arrested in a cooperative jurisdiction.
“We only formally request when we are notified by a government that the fugitive is in their country. The request was filed immediately by this office after the Swiss notified us of Polanski’s expected arrival at the Zurich film festival in September 2009.”
Failure to extradite Polanski is a “disservice to justice and other victims as a whole. To justify their finding to deny extradition on an issue that is unique to California law regarding conditional examination of a potentially unavailable witness is a rejection of the competency of the California courts. The Swiss could not have found a smaller hook on which to hang their hat.”
Sad. So much for justice!
[Image via WENN.]