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Roman polanski let off

Well, I think the guy's a sleeze bucket, but another article I read said that the U.S. did not provide the information requested by the Swiss in a timely manner. A representative for the U.S. said:
"We think it sends a very important message regarding how women and girls are treated around the world," he added. "To push this case aside based on technicalities we think is regrettable."

I find that quote highly amusing since our own legal system is bogged down in "technicalities" every time we turn around.
 
I find that quote highly amusing since our own legal system is bogged down in "technicalities" every time we turn around.

That and all the people whose lives are destroyed every year because of technicalities.

That's all a legal system is -- technicalities.

For better or for worse, what the word really means is "someone noticed the law doesn't say what I want it to say, and that pisses me off."
 
"We think it sends a very important message regarding how women and girls are treated around the world,"

Yea, Switzerland is well known for treating females very badly. They even sell Cuban cigars:shock:
 
Somewhat disappointing, but not really surprising.

I might care more about this if Polanski's victim, now an adult woman, had not said something to the effect that she didn't want to see him punished. If the victim doesn't care, I have to wonder why I should care.

Oh well.
 
That and all the people whose lives are destroyed every year because of technicalities.

That's all a legal system is -- technicalities.

For better or for worse, what the word really means is "someone noticed the law doesn't say what I want it to say, and that pisses me off."

You're absolutely right. There is quite an uproar over Polanski being let off because of a technicality, but technicalities can also go to a prosecutor's favor in other cases. So I agree with you.
 
As it turns out, the lawyers are running the government and making all the rules. The law has gotten so complex that you need lawyer(s) to interpret it for you.
 
Nice spin here have to admit it..

BBC News - Switzerland rejects US extradition of Roman Polanski is the original story and not the reply by the US.. there is a very key sentence missing in the debate.

The justice ministry said that the US authorities had failed to provide confidential testimony about Polanski's original sentencing procedure.

Hence it is the US authorities that failed to document fully their case against Polanski, and hence the Swiss had no choice but to deny the request.

As for Polanski himself.. its a 30 year old case.. get over it. It was the US legal system that was stupid enough to give a rich famous dual citizenship man bail on child sex charges.. talk about a flight risk. Even the girl involved does not care anymore.
 
While I would have preferred that Mr. Polanski would have been extradited, the Swiss Court made the only ruling it could when the U.S. refused to furnish material information. An Associated Press story published in The New York Times revealed:

The Swiss government said it sought confidential testimony given on Jan. 26 by Roger Gunson, the Los Angeles prosecutor in charge of the original Polanski case from the 1970s. Washington rejected the request.

The U.S. should have furnished the information. That way, the Swiss Court would have been in a position to rule based on the merits. But with incomplete information, such a decision was not possible.
 
Somebody should have sent a 13 year old girl with AIDS his way, while he was hiding out in Europe. :mrgreen:
 
Nice spin here have to admit it..

BBC News - Switzerland rejects US extradition of Roman Polanski is the original story and not the reply by the US.. there is a very key sentence missing in the debate

Hence it is the US authorities that failed to document fully their case against Polanski, and hence the Swiss had no choice but to deny the request.

As for Polanski himself.. its a 30 year old case.. get over it. It was the US legal system that was stupid enough to give a rich famous dual citizenship man bail on child sex charges.. talk about a flight risk. Even the girl involved does not care anymore.

So its no big deal to rape a 13 year old girl? Its a question of law more than anything.Its not Romans fault its the courts really.
 
Sucks, but we can't do anything more about it. The guy is a creep and a ****ty human. All we can do is let him know the type of scum he is and pelt him with eggs.
 
So its no big deal to rape a 13 year old girl?

Well of course it is. But this is a rape that happened over 30 years ago... the statue of limitations has run out long ago. And lets not forget the whole case it self back then was to say the least.. very odd.

Its a question of law more than anything.

Yes it is.. the Swiss could not make a full ruling because of the US authorities not releasing all the information they required. Hence their hands were tied.

Its not Romans fault its the courts really.

Well it is Romans fault he slept with a 13 year old, and it is Roman's fault that he fled. Now he might have had compelling reasons for doing so considering the US so called justice system, but that is another debate. In the end, to get someone extradited from Switzerland (and it should be in the rest of Europe as well.. but sadly not), a country (in this case the US) must provide any and all material that is asked for... the US did not.. end of case, go cry in a corner.

But you can also look at this way... 30 years, millions of wasted dollars on a case that so easily could be closed... even the victim thinks it is stupid to keep going after him. I mean.. does the Californian justice system have better things to spend their time and limited money on?
 
What exactly, did he do, anyways? A little more detail than "rape a child" plz.

It is a bit fuzzy because believe it or not, aspects of the evidence is still secret .. 30 years later.. He pleaded guilty and had a deal with the prosecution on punishment... to basically get the case over with, but found out that the Judge in the case was on a crusade and would possibly send him to jail for decades... so he fled.

As for the "rape" part.. the girl was willing.. or so some say, while others do not. Some say Polanski did not know she was only 13, others say he did.. a real weird case.
 
Roman polanski has basically been let off again


BBC News - US 'disappointed' by Swiss Polanski extradition ruling

Its very upsetting that we live in a world where being a famous director can get you let off of some os the worse crimes.

Wow the BBC said he was merely accused of "having sex with an underage girl" when in fact the girl testified before a Grand Jury that he drugged her and that she said no and that he committed sodomy on her. And she wasn't 17 or anything the girl was only 13, this isn't just a scum bag this is a sick ****.
 
It is a bit fuzzy because believe it or not, aspects of the evidence is still secret .. 30 years later.. He pleaded guilty and had a deal with the prosecution on punishment... to basically get the case over with, but found out that the Judge in the case was on a crusade and would possibly send him to jail for decades... so he fled.

As for the "rape" part.. the girl was willing.. or so some say, while others do not. Some say Polanski did not know she was only 13, others say he did.. a real weird case.

A) It doesn't matter if she was willing or not, it wasn't as if she was 17 or something, she was only 13 she wouldn't have even been in high school yet. The only reason why he wasn't charged with anything more than statutory rape is because the girl did not want to testify in open court since Polanski would have had the Constitutional right to face his accuser had her lawyers not offered a plea bargain.

B) The girl testified that not only was she drugged but that she said no and that he didn't just rape her he raped her in the most brutal fashion imagineable.
 
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Well of course it is. But this is a rape that happened over 30 years ago... the statue of limitations has run out long ago. And lets not forget the whole case it self back then was to say the least.. very odd.

Statute of limitations are irrelevant here because he had already been found guilty for the crime, and also because charges were already filed and the legal proceedings were not completed because he jumped bail.



Yes it is.. the Swiss could not make a full ruling because of the US authorities not releasing all the information they required. Hence their hands were tied.

If a judge seals the proceedings, the U.S. government can't release the information without an order from a state judge.


Well it is Romans fault he slept with a 13 year old, and it is Roman's fault that he fled. Now he might have had compelling reasons for doing so considering the US so called justice system, but that is another debate. In the end, to get someone extradited from Switzerland (and it should be in the rest of Europe as well.. but sadly not), a country (in this case the US) must provide any and all material that is asked for... the US did not.. end of case, go cry in a corner.

Always have to get your anti-U.S. slant in there, don't you. BTW, it isn't the US justice system here that is involved, but the California justice system. I presume you do know the difference. I don't know what the specifics of the extradition treaty are between the USA and Switzerland, but since there is already a conviction in the case and the only thing that needs to be done here is sentencing and him to serve said sentence, it should have been a straight forward case.

But you can also look at this way... 30 years, millions of wasted dollars on a case that so easily could be closed... even the victim thinks it is stupid to keep going after him. I mean.. does the Californian justice system have better things to spend their time and limited money on?

He commited a dispicable crime and he ran away from justice.
 
Meh, what did he do that Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Tiger Woods didn't do?

That foursome makes John Edwards look like a saint.
 
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Statute of limitations are irrelevant here because he had already been found guilty for the crime, and also because charges were already filed and the legal proceedings were not completed because he jumped bail.

Incorrect. He has NOT been found guilty but arranged a plea deal.. big difference. And he fled the country because he learned that there was a large possibility that the Judge would not honour the plea deal and put him in jail.

There was no sentencing other than the 90 days psychiatric evaluation and the parole board and the psychiatrists both said in written statements that Polanski should not receive jail time. The Judge more than hinted that he disagreed despite the plea deal... So Polanski fled to France, and no sentencing was ever carried out.

If a judge seals the proceedings, the U.S. government can't release the information without an order from a state judge.

Well then dont come crying claiming injustice when someone says that is not good enough in an extradition hearing. Sucks to live in a country that has such a fragmented and incoherent legal system that it cant honour its international agreements and requests.

Always have to get your anti-U.S. slant in there, don't you. BTW, it isn't the US justice system here that is involved, but the California justice system.

LOL yea.. California is not part of the US.. and the extradition treaty is not between the US and Switzerland but between California and the Swiss.. sure... yea right..

I presume you do know the difference.

Do you? The extradition treaty is between the US and the Swiss.. the Swiss requested any and all information, and the US could not comply. It is not the fault of the Swiss that the US federal system cant honour requests in international agreements just because of a piss ant local wanna be judge in California.

I don't know what the specifics of the extradition treaty are between the USA and Switzerland, but since there is already a conviction in the case and the only thing that needs to be done here is sentencing and him to serve said sentence, it should have been a straight forward case.

There is no conviction or sentencing. And it is hardly straight forward. The Swiss asked for any and all information concerning the case and the US did not provide it.. end of story. He is a free man.

He commited a dispicable crime and he ran away from justice.

so have many other people and their cases have not been persuade in the same way at such a high cost to the US taxpayer.
 
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A) It doesn't matter if she was willing or not, it wasn't as if she was 17 or something, she was only 13 she wouldn't have even been in high school yet. The only reason why he wasn't charged with anything more than statutory rape is because the girl did not want to testify in open court since Polanski would have had the Constitutional right to face his accuser had her lawyers not offered a plea bargain.

No he entered a plea deal that meant he would plead guilty to statutory rape and all other charges would be dropped. Part of the plea deal was that there would be no jail time, something the that judge went back on and hence Polanski fled.

B) The girl testified that not only was she drugged but that she said no and that he didn't just rape her he raped her in the most brutal fashion imagineable.

Yes... word against word basically. Would not be the first time some girl claimed rape when there was non.. and no I am not saying she was not raped, just that the evidence was at best flimsy.
 
No he entered a plea deal that meant he would plead guilty to statutory rape and all other charges would be dropped. Part of the plea deal was that there would be no jail time, something the that judge went back on and hence Polanski fled.

You have obviously never been to court on a criminal charge, sentencing for plea deals are not finalized until you are actually in the court room before the judge, the states attorney may agree to a plea deal but it is never finalized until you actually go to court and the judge signs off on it, I know this from personal experience because I had a plea deal set with the state's attorney all ready to go and the judge did not accept it. Regardless statutes of limitations only apply to proceeding with criminal prosecution, meaning that if you're charged with say bank robbery and you skip bail and flee the country you can still be prosecuted even after the statute of limitations have expired statutes of limitations ONLY apply to when charges can be brought forward after a certain length after the crime has been committed EG the state can not charge you and commence legal proceedings against you after the statute of limitations has expired even based on new evidence save in heinous crimes; rape I believe being one of them and if it isn't it should be.

Yes... word against word basically. Would not be the first time some girl claimed rape when there was non.. and no I am not saying she was not raped, just that the evidence was at best flimsy.

It doesn't matter if it was consensual or not really, she was 13, she wasn't even close to legal age. 17 maybe, he would still be a complete scumbag, but 13 no ****ing way, that's just wrong.
 
Not to deviate the thread, but maybe, Polanski's lawyers know that the American judicial system is crumbling under its own weight.
 
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