Swiss Aided Polanski Arrest

Roman Polanski's September arrest was due in large part to help from Swiss authorities.

The Associated Press has learned that the Swiss Federal Office of Justice alerted the U.S. Office of International Affairs on September 22, via fax, that Polanski would soon be in Zurich. Swiss officials then inquired whether the U.S. had plans to submit a request for Polanski's arrest.

Federal officials relayed this information to the Los Angeles district attorney's office, which quickly worked to draft an arrest warrant.

As a result of the notice, Polanski was arrested on September 26 when he arrived in Zurich with the intention to receive a lifetime achievement award.

Since this, Polanski has been held in jail in Switzerland. In the time interval, he has been attempting to avoid extradition. This battle does not seem to be boding well. On Tuesday, Switzerland's top criminal court rejected the fugitive's appeal to be released from prison.

Decades ago, Polanski originally pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl, but soon after fled the country when disputes over sentencing began to arise.