Roman Polanski Facing Extradition Attempt from the United States

Roman Polanski is once again facing an extradition attempt. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who in 1977 was convicted of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, served 42 days in jail as part of a plea bargain and fled to France when he learned that he was going to be sentenced to further time behind bars. This latest development comes from the Polish government, which has decided to appeal a court decision made last October to deny a U.S. extradition request.

PAP, the Polish state news agency, has reported Poland’s justice minister and prosecutor general Zbigniew Ziobro saying that “I’ve decided to file to the supreme court an appeal over the ruling … in which the … court decided not to extradite Mr. Polanski to the U.S. in a situation when he’s accused of and wanted for … a rape of a child.” This is a reversal of an earlier decision prosecutors made not to challenge the ruling.

Polanski is a dual citizen of both France and Poland, though he was born in France and mainly lives there. He’s faced similar attempts in the past, including one in 2009 that saw him arrested and jailed in Switzerland for two months.

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