Director Roman Polanski Arrested in Switzerland in 1977 Sex Case

Film director Roman Polanski was arrested at an airport in Zurich on Saturday on a U.S. warrant for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

Polanski, 76, was traveling to the country to receive an award at a film festival, according to stories in the New York Times, the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times. The arrest was a shock to Polanski, since he often travels to Switzerland.

Polanski lives in France, but prosecutors never pursued his extradition from that country because its treaty with the United States does not cover Polanski’s crime, according to a statement by his lawyers summarized in the New York Times.

Guido Balmer, a spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry, said Polanski was arrested in this instance because authorities knew when and where he would arrive in the country. According to another Associated Press story, Balmer “rejected any hint that the arrest was somehow aimed at winning favor with the U.S. after a series of bilateral spats over tax evasion and wealthy Americans stashing money at Swiss banking giant UBS AG.”

Under a 1990 accord, the United States has 60 days to formally request Polanski’s extradition. Balmer says a bail arrangement is "not entirely excluded" under Swiss law.

Polanski has filed an appeal seeking to overturn his guilty plea for unlawful sex with a minor on the ground the trial judge was allegedly coached to impose a higher sentence by a prosecutor not involved in the case. Polanski fled the United States before his sentencing.