Swiss ministry agrees to Polanski bail

The Swiss justice ministry decided it would not challenge a court's decision to accept a bail offer of 4.5 million dollars to free film-maker Roman Polanski who is still waiting for a ruling on a US extradition request.

AFP - Switzerland's justice ministry said Thursday it would free film-maker Roman Polanski on bail as it would not contest a court's decision to grant his release while he awaits a ruling on a US extradition request.
   
"Polanski will be released from custody as soon as bail has been transferred, ID and travel documents have been lodged, and the electronic monitoring system has been installed and tested," said the Federal Office of Justice in a statement.
   
The justice ministry decision came a day after Switzerland's top criminal court accepted Polanski's bail offer of 4.5 million Swiss francs (4.5 million dollars, 3.0 million euros) in deposit and restrictions on his movement.
   
Polanski will be placed under house arrest at his chalet in the Swiss ski resort of Gstaad, and he will be made to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, said the Swiss justice ministry.
   
For now, the Polish-Franco director remains in jail until the bail conditions are met.
   
"The release will not happen today," the ministry's spokesman Folco Galli told AFP, noting that the bail deposit has not been received.
   
He added that he was to say how long it would take for all the bail conditions to be met.
   
Polanski has been regarded as a fugitive by US authorities since he fled the United States in 1978 after admitting to having sex with the under-age girl.
   
The 76-year-old was detained by Swiss police acting on a US extradition warrant when he went to Zurich to collect an award at the city's film festival in September.

Date created : 2009-11-26