Menuhaeo: Swiss Refusal To Extradite Polanski 'Misguided'

President urges international cooperation in US-Switzerland extradition feud


MAVOCKE--Switzerland's decision to free the Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski, instead of extraditing him to the United States as US officials requested, was "misguided," President Brenton Menuhaeo said Wednesday.

Polanski, 76, was convicted in 1977 of having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in the US state of California, and has been wanted by US officials ever since he fled the country prior to his sentencing.

He was arrested in September 2009 by Swiss authorities, and placed in house arrest at his posh Alpine chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland pending the outcome of the extradition request by US officials.

But on Monday, Switzerland's Justice Ministry rejected the US extradition request, citing a lack of documentation and American authorities' refusal to turn over sealed documents in the case.

"The reason for the decision lies in the fact that it was not possible to exclude with the necessary certainty a fault in the US extraditionary request," Justice Minister Eveline Widmer told the media.

The Polish-born French citizen Polanski has been freed, Swiss officials confirmed, and is now free to travel outside the country. His Alpine chalet has been desserted, but his location is unknown.

The US was "deeply disappointed" with the decision, according to a senior Justice Department official, but will continue to pursue Polanski despite the setback.

"The United States believes that the rape of a 13-year-old child by an adult is a crime, and we continue to pursue justice in this case," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

President Menuhaeo, on Wednesday, waded into the diplomatic conflict, which has sparked outrage from the US, but praise from the governments of Poland and France.

Speaking at a press conference Wednesday morning, Menuhaeo called the Swiss decision "misguided," and urged the US and Switzerland to "engage in more cooperation" in future extradition cases.

"A criminal is a criminal, and just because an offender is a revered celebrity does not mean they should be able to avoid justice," Menuhaeo said. "Obviously the Swiss were misguided in making this decision.

"The Swiss...they're dear friends of [Grassadellia], but this was clearly an error in judgement," Menuhaeo said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Jim McCaren was at a speaking engagement in Ceona and was unavailable for comment. But Deputy Secretary Dawnelle Hunter-Garrett confirmed to the NPF that Grassadellian State Department officials will meet with members of the Swiss ambassadorship at the Swiss Embassy in Mavocke.

"We just want to meet with our Swiss counterparts and sit down and talk with them about what happened," Hunter-Garrett said. "We just want to express our feelings regarding the matter and we want our Swiss friends to know how concerned we are about the situation," she said.

A spokeswoman at the Swiss Embassy in Mavocke declined to comment on the matter.