Poland’s supreme court has denied the United States’ request to extradite Roman Polanski, upholding a lower court’s decision and bringing the matter to a close.
“We are very happy that the case is finally over,” one of Polanski’s lawyers, Jan Olszewski, told Reuters.
The U.S. had asked for Polanski’s extradition from Poland following a high-profile 2014 appearance at a screening of Harvey Weinstein’s “Big Eyes.” A Krakow district court rejected that bid last October. The request is now officially out of upward mobility in the Polish legal system.
The Oscar winner (“The Pianist”) pled guilty in 1977 to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. He served 42 days in jail after a plea bargain, but later fled the United States to avoid a potentially stiffer penalty, should the agreement have been overturned.
“The supreme court … rejects the request for annulment,” judge Michal Laskowski said on Tuesday. “(It) has been deemed groundless.”
Polanski is now 83-years-old. His victim has publicly come out against extradition, stating that the director has suffered enough simply by living his life in some semblance of hiding.