Roman Polanski arrested in Zürich

[Jaron]

There is a conspiracy theory put forth here that the extradition is a way of the Swiss to get into the US good graces in exchange of not being grilled too much over the banking secrecy thing.

It's been suggested that this is true over here, as well. It makes a certain amount of logical sense, I must admit.

However, my question was why did the USA suddenly take this off of the backburner in 2005? I am just very curious as to what happened that year to make them so eager to get Polanski back after all that time.

My thoughts too.
My guess; someone saw The Pianist, read up on this guy and realised he was still on the run.

Sorry, was that a serious suggestion?

[Barrister]

There is a conspiracy theory put forth here that the extradition is a way of the Swiss to get into the US good graces in exchange of not being grilled too much over the banking secrecy thing.

You know there can be a very simple explanation as well.  We often run into people here that have had outstanding warrants for years and year.  They have been working, easy to find, if anyone had ever gone looking for them.

Then one day for some inoccuous reason they deal with a police officer, who runs their name and: wham.  They are arrested for a years-old charge.

The EU-Swiss border is pretty loose.  I don't think the Swiss ever ran our passport when we were just driving through.  It may well be that Polanski just hadn't come to anyone's attention in Switzerland until now.

[Caliga]

The EU-Swiss border is pretty loose.  I don't think the Swiss ever ran our passport when we were just driving through.  It may well be that Polanski just hadn't come to anyone's attention in Switzerland until now.

Despite it not being in the EU, I crossed into Switzerland from Italy without having my papers checked.  I was kinda surprised by that myself.

[garbon]

Sorry, was that a serious suggestion?

It's Jos.

[Sheilbh]

So France does not extradite citizens?

Yes they do, they've got a number of extradition treaties with the US.  However according to those treaties extradition is at the discretion of both countries.  So the French simply said 'no' to US requests.

So a French person can go outside France, commit some crime, then go back to France and be secure in the knowledge that he is safe from prosecution?

No.

The EU-Swiss border is pretty loose.  I don't think the Swiss ever ran our passport when we were just driving through.  It may well be that Polanski just hadn't come to anyone's attention in Switzerland until now.

The Swiss are in Schengen.  The Swiss-EU border is no more international than the Franco-German one

[Caliga]

As I said its just oppinion as is almost every other comment out there related to this case.
What we say doesn't matter anyway, its all just 'Yey, death to paedos' or 'Noooo Planski!!!!!'

There's also a third train of thought, which is "The entire basis of legal systems is that law is not selectively enforced based on how much we like or don't like the accused."

[Berkut]

So France does not extradite citizens?

Yes they do, they've got a number of extradition treaties with the US.  However according to those treaties extradition is at the discretion of both countries.  So the French simply said 'no' to US requests.

Why?

[Caliga]

I think it was already mentioned briefly in this thread, but the French refused to extradite that dude Ira Einhorn for decades because IIRC they feared he'd be 'tortured' in the US justice system or something lame.  Somehow the FBI tricked him and/or the French in order to nab his murdering ass.

[Sheilbh]

Why?

Given that there's a diplomatic fuss now over this I imagine they just wanted to protect one of their prominent citizens.  But I don't know.

[crazy canuck]

There is a conspiracy theory put forth here that the extradition is a way of the Swiss to get into the US good graces in exchange of not being grilled too much over the banking secrecy thing.

It's been suggested that this is true over here, as well. It makes a certain amount of logical sense, I must admit.

However, my question was why did the USA suddenly take this off of the backburner in 2005? I am just very curious as to what happened that year to make them so eager to get Polanski back after all that time.

Here is a good article in the online Globe&Mail with some explanations.  According to the article the accord between the Swiss and the US was made in 1990 and it looks like this wasnt the only thing taken off the back burner in 2005.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/tug-of-war-over-polanski-escalates/article1303651/

[MadImmortalMan]

drugs and alcohol to a 13-year-old girl and having unlawful sex with her at a photographic shoot at Jack Nicholson's Hollywood home.

Man, Jack knows how to party.  Puts Charlie Sheen to shame.

I just noticed this:

Slept with: Margaret Trudeau (Canadian First Lady, wife of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau)

WTF?   

[Weatherman]

As I said its just oppinion as is almost every other comment out there related to this case.
What we say doesn't matter anyway, its all just 'Yey, death to paedos' or 'Noooo Planski!!!!!'

There's also a third train of thought, which is "The entire basis of legal systems is that law is not selectively enforced based on how much we like or don't like the accused."

Silly Cal. You know better than to use logic here. 

[MadImmortalMan]

Did Polanski get charged for child porn too, or was that part of his plea bargain? Or were the pictures he was taking not nude?

[Gbeagle]

Despite it not being in the EU, I crossed into Switzerland from Italy without having my papers checked.  I was kinda surprised by that myself.

Yeah as Sheilbh said Switzerland is in Schengen now. It is a not really an international border anymore. In the Geneva area at least I have not seen a single person manning the border crosses with France in months. Even Geneva's public transportation system extends into France.

The funniest part is that at the Hyper Champion (grocery store though it is more like the French version of Walmart) in Ferney (in France), you always see tons of Swiss plates in the parking lot because food is cheaper in France. It really is like there is no border. It no different from most of the borders in the EU, except for the currency difference. I cross the border almost everyday (live in France - work in Switzerland), and I have never once had my passport checked.

[Malthus]

I just noticed this:

Slept with: Margaret Trudeau (Canadian First Lady, wife of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau)

WTF?   

Good old Maggie. She slept with just about everyone in the 1970s.