Polanski's Attorneys Lobby Federal Officials To Stop Extradition [Hollywood In Action!]

LATimes ^ | October 09th 2009

[Steelfish]

Polanski's Attorneys Lobby Federal Officials To Stop Extradition

They met with Justice Department officials and presented arguments against returning the film director to Los Angeles from Switzerland to face sentencing in a 1977 child-sex case.

By Harriet Ryan October 9, 2009

Attorneys for Roman Polanski are lobbying federal officials not to extradite the acclaimed filmmaker to the U.S. from Switzerland, where he is jailed in connection with 32-year-old child-sex charges, according to court documents filed this week in Los Angeles.

A team of American attorneys for Polanski met with a deputy assistant attorney general and other Justice Department officials Oct. 2 and presented them with arguments against returning the director to the U.S. to face sentencing on a statutory rape charge, according to a letter included in an appellate court filing Wednesday.

The letter from Polanski's attorneys thanking Bruce Swartz, who oversees the department's Office of International Affairs, for the meeting was part of a filing by Los Angeles County prosecutors asking California's 2nd District Court of Appeal to dismiss "as moot" an appeal predating his arrest.

In the 10-page letter, Polanski's attorneys summarized allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct in the 1977 case and contended that the director has already served his sentence. The attorneys also wrote that Polanski has "little chance of receiving a fair hearing or disposition in California should he be returned."

[mathprof]

Well, that would be a peaceful solution.

[ducdriver]

Peaceful...and unjust.

[Da Coyote]

Sleaze is as Hollywood does. Idiocracy revealed.

I can think of no group for whom I have less respect - except for politicians.

[Carley]

Guess that’s the action the committee had in mind when they awarded the prize to the one.

[ASOC]

Should have got in line behind Marc Rich and purchased a pardon when the market was open.

Course, Holder is now the AG and a Dem IS in the WH.

Wonder what the $ cost would be?

Yes, I am quite the cynic....

[GAB-1955]

Let's be fair. There was an article written in the Los Angeles Times two days ago in which a Hollywood person notes: 1) most Hollywood people have their own problems and didn't really pay attention to Polanski, and 2) if they did notice, most of them didn't sign any petitions demanding Polanski be released. He said that he didn't think he needed to sign any petitions demanding Polanski's extradition.

[donna]

Won’t we then have to release every pedophile from prison?

I guess they could all get jobs in Obama’s administration.

[pennboy]

What would be the reaction from hollyweird be if it was FATHER POLANSKI? Hmmmm?

[martin_fierro]

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Pretty interesting legal conundrum here. You have a state and its interest in prosecuting a criminal who committed a crime in that state. You have a bunch of folks in Washington paid by Polanski trying to invoke some federal power to prevent extradition. I don’t know much about international law, but extradition treaties probably have their own frequently litigated case law history of interpretation - is anyone out there familiar with the Federal grounds to interfere with California’s efforts to extradite?

Of course, you have Jerry Brown in CA as AG, so BHO can dial in whatever instructions he wants. If the Obama administration wants to protect a confessed child molester, I say go ahead and make my day.