LOS ANGELES (AP)—The California appeals court decided Wednesday to release several documents in the criminal case against famed director Roman Polanski, who fled after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl decades ago. this is the past. California Attorney said.
The district attorney’s office said the court had ordered the probationary release of Roger Ganson, who was originally the prosecutor in the Los Angeles County case.
However, there is no information yet on when the documents will be made public.
A call for comment from Jeff Berg, Polanski’s manager in Los Angeles, went Wednesday night.
However, Polanski’s lawyer, Harland Brown, told the Los Angeles Times that his client was “satisfied” with the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals decision.
Winner of the Best Director Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist, 88-year-old Polanski is still wanted after he fled to France in 1977 after being convicted of having illegal sex with a minor. before he was sentenced the following year.
France, Switzerland, and Poland have refused requests to extradite him to the United States, and he continues to be respected in Europe, winning awards and collaborating with key players.
However, he was removed from membership by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018.
In Polanski’s case, the victim stated that during a photo shoot at Jack Nicholson’s home in March 1977, when the actor was not at home, Polanski gave him champagne and some tranquilizers and then forced him to have sex despite his objections. The girl said she did not fight because she was afraid of him, but later her mother called the police.
But in an interview with CNN in 2010, victim Samantha Gamer said she thought the judge in Polanski’s case was dishonest with her.
In 2017, Gamer called it “40 years in prison” for him and the director for asking a judge in a Los Angeles courtroom to dismiss the case. The request was denied.
Polanski has long argued that there was judicial misconduct in his case. In 2010, a Los Angeles court asked Gunson for a sealed statement that the judge remembered the promises he made to the filmmaker in 1977.
Polanski claimed that Ganson’s transcripts would show that after pleading guilty to Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Rittenband, Polanski intended to serve only a 90-day sentence in state prison. The director was released after just 42 days, but then a judge added 48 days and Polanski went into hiding.
Polanski’s lawyers have long sought to disclose this testimony, believing the transcript will help their case.
Brown told the Times that after receiving the report, Polanski would seek his military term, which could allow him to return to the United States without fear of arrest.
Gamer, who wanted an investigation into the alleged misconduct, also demanded that the report be printed, and called for the district attorney’s office to reconsider the case in a letter last month.
The Office objected to the material’s publication for years, but earlier this week it withdrew its appeal, saying it was listening to Gamer’s requests.
“Finally, after decades of waiting, the victim’s request was granted and her voice was heard,” prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday.
“We are pleased that the Court of Appeals has agreed with both the victim and our office on the need for transparency,” District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. Said. “We hope this gives him some confidence that he can eventually close this multi-year case to some degree.”
According to a statement from the district attorney’s office, Gamer was notified of the decision and was grateful, saying, “It’s not too late to do the right thing.”
Source: Breitbart
