Poland’s top court upholds refusal to extradite Polanski

In this file photo from Oct. 30, 2015, filmmaker Roman Polanski talks to reporters in in Krakow, Poland, after a Polish judge ruled that Polish law forbids his extradition to the U.S., where in 1977 he pleaded guilty to having had sex with a minor. Poland’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, upheld a refusal to extradite filmmaker Roman Polanski to the U.S. if he enters Poland. AP

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Supreme Court has upheld a refusal to have filmmaker Roman Polanski extradited to the U.S. if he enters Poland.

Polanski is wanted in the U.S. in a case involving sex with a minor, which has haunted him for almost 40 years.

READ: Victim of Polanski sex scandal uses photo he took

He lives in France and has a home in Switzerland, but has often visited Poland, where he grew up.

The three-judge panel rejected on Tuesday a request by Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro to overturn the extradition refusal and upheld the procedure and decision taken by a lower court. The ruling closes the case.

Polanski wanted to make a film in Poland last year, but canceled his plans after Ziobro’s move.

The justice minister revived the case in May, months after the conservative government took office. Ziobro argued that Polanski should be punished and that his celebrity status was the only thing shielding the Oscar-winning director from being extradited.

The lower court had argued Polanski, 83, has served a prison term, while he would probably not get a fair trial in the U.S. if he was extradited.

The director pleaded guilty in 1977 to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl during a photo shoot in Los Angeles. In a deal with the judge, he served 42 days in prison, but then fled the U.S. fearing the judge would have him imprisoned again for much longer.

The U.S. has been seeking to bring Polanski back and put him before a court. TVJ

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