Polanski Starts House Arrest in Ski Resort
GENEVA — The director Roman Polanski was released from custody on $4.5 million bail and transferred to house arrest in the upscale ski resort of Gstaad Friday pending a judicial ruling on an American request for his extradition.
Mr. Polanski is wanted in the United States on charges dating to 1978 that he fled the country to avoid sentencing for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
A crowd of some 200 journalists had gathered behind a police cordon in the resort to await Mr. Polanski’s arrival at his luxury chalet there. Reporters said he arrived and drove into an underground garage without commenting.
In a statement, the Swiss governmenti said: “Roman Polanski was today released from custody pending extradition and transferred to Gstaad, where he is under house arrest at his chalet. Polanski has undertaken not to leave his house and property at any time.” Swiss authorities initially took Mr. Polanski, 76, from a jail in Winterthur in northeastern Switzerland to an undisclosed location on Thursday to avoid media representatives who staked out the jail as well as the chalet in Gsaad.
“It wasn’t possible to make the transfer for security reasons,” Folco Galli, a Justice Ministry spokesman, said in a telephone interview.
Swiss authorities initially opposed bail for Mr. Polanksi after his Sept. 26 arrest because of fears that he might flee. The court eventually accepted his appeal for release on condition that he post bail of $4.5 million, relinquish all travel and identity documents to the police and wear an electronic monitoring device.
Mr. Polanski will be restricted to the house and grounds of his chalet but is free to receive visitors and “whether he wants to show himself or hide in the chalet is up to him,” Mr. Galli said
Mr. Polanski’s lawyers plan to oppose the extradition request. Mr. Galli said the decision would take “some weeks.” If the ministry approves his extradition, Mr. Polanski has 30 days in which to appeal to Switzerland’ s Supreme Court.
Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris.
GENEVA — The director Roman Polanski was released from custody on $4.5 million bail and transferred to house arrest in the upscale ski resort of Gstaad Friday pending a judicial ruling on an American request for his extradition.
Mr. Polanski is wanted in the United States on charges dating to 1978 that he fled the country to avoid sentencing for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
A crowd of some 200 journalists had gathered behind a police cordon in the resort to await Mr. Polanski’s arrival at his luxury chalet there. Reporters said he arrived and drove into an underground garage without commenting.
In a statement, the Swiss governmenti said: “Roman Polanski was today released from custody pending extradition and transferred to Gstaad, where he is under house arrest at his chalet. Polanski has undertaken not to leave his house and property at any time.” Swiss authorities initially took Mr. Polanski, 76, from a jail in Winterthur in northeastern Switzerland to an undisclosed location on Thursday to avoid media representatives who staked out the jail as well as the chalet in Gsaad.
“It wasn’t possible to make the transfer for security reasons,” Folco Galli, a Justice Ministry spokesman, said in a telephone interview.
Swiss authorities initially opposed bail for Mr. Polanksi after his Sept. 26 arrest because of fears that he might flee. The court eventually accepted his appeal for release on condition that he post bail of $4.5 million, relinquish all travel and identity documents to the police and wear an electronic monitoring device.
Mr. Polanski will be restricted to the house and grounds of his chalet but is free to receive visitors and “whether he wants to show himself or hide in the chalet is up to him,” Mr. Galli said
Mr. Polanski’s lawyers plan to oppose the extradition request. Mr. Galli said the decision would take “some weeks.” If the ministry approves his extradition, Mr. Polanski has 30 days in which to appeal to Switzerland’ s Supreme Court.
Alan Cowell contributed reporting from Paris.
Source: New York Times
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