The Film Director Roman Polanski Requested by US Authorities to Face Trial

Warsaw - The film director Roman Polanski is requested by the US authorities to be extradited from Poland and face trial for an alleged case of sexual abuse in 1977, judicial sources informed today. Polish courts have requested the director of films such as Chinatown and The Pianist to declare his stance on the extradition process requested by the United States, where the alleged offense occurred.

According to the court, the hearing will take place next Wednesday and under no circumstances the absence of the 81-year-old filmmaker is expected, said the lawyer of the artist, Jan Olszewski.

Polanksi is accused of having had sexual intercourse with Samantha Geimer, a minor that in 1977 was 13 years old. At that time, the director pleaded guilty to the crime and spent 42 days in prison.

After his short imprisonment, he was released on bail and then fled from the United States in 1978 to its current location in Poland, days before the hearing would determine the sentence and thus avoided a possibly more severe punishment.

Since then Polanski, who won an Oscar in 2002, has not been allowed to step on US soil until the case is definitely closed.