ROMAN POLANSKI - U.S. DEMANDS POLANSKI EXTRADITION

U.S. DEMANDS POLANSKI EXTRADITION

U.S. officials have lodged a formal request with the Swiss government to extradite ROMAN POLANSKI.
The Oscar-winner was arrested in Zurich, Switzerland in September (09) on a 1977 child sex charge after landing in the city for a film festival, where he was to be honoured.
Polanski pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl but fled to France in 1978 before he was sentenced.
He has been behind bars in Switzerland ever since his arrest, while prosecutors in Los Angeles debated whether to have him extradited to the U.S. to face justice.
The 76-year-old director has had two requests for bail turned down, and is taking his fight for freedom to the country's Federal Supreme Court.
Swiss officials will now hold a hearing on whether to grant the extradition request. If it is approved, Polanski will be able to challenge the decision in court, which could delay the process for several years.
Officials at the Swiss justice ministry confirmed the news in a statement: "The U.S. Embassy in Bern submitted the formal extradition request... within the deadline of 40 days stipulated under the bilateral extradition treaty. The Federal Office of Justice will make its decision regarding extradition based on the results of the hearing and the information provided by Polanski's lawyer. In case extradition is considered to be admissible, Polanski will have the option of appealing against the decision before the Federal Criminal Court and the Federal Supreme Court as the court of last instance."