Oct 2, 2009, 16:13 GMT
Los Angeles - In his first comments since filing for the extradition of Roman Polanski, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley defended his actions, saying that the famous director committed a crime and could not be allowed to remain a fugitive to justice.
Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has made repeated attempts over the years to have film director Roman Polanski arrested and returned to Los Angeles to be sentenced for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Polanski, 76, was arrested by Swiss authorities on 22 September 2009 and has been wanted since 1978. EPA/LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICe
'It's about completing justice,' Cooley told KTLA television news Thursday. 'Justice is not complete when someone leaves the jurisdiction of the court.'
Cooley denied that the pursuit of Polanski after all these years was vindictive. 'We don't persecute anybody and it's a matter of court processes being concluded,' Cooley said. 'There's a Superior Court bench warrant outstanding, it's been executed and there will be further court proceedings.'
Ominously for Polanski, Cooley indicated that he was open to revisiting the charges that lapsed when Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sex with a minor.
'Mr Polanski pled guilty to a crime, so apparently to Mr Polanski there was a crime and there's still five or six other much more serious charges pending that are yet to be resolved,' Cooley said. 'They won't be resolved until he's finally sentenced.'
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger insisted that Polanski, 76, would receive no special treatment because of his celebrity status.
'It doesn't matter if it's Roman Polanski or anyone else, I think that those things should be treated like anyone else,' the former action movie star told CNN. 'It doesn't matter if you're a big-time movie director.'
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