Polanski to stay in jail

2009-12-01 16:00

The chalet "Milky Way" of Polish-French filmmaker Roman Polanski in Gstaad (Jean-Christophe Bott, AP Keystone)

Bern - Swiss authorities say Roman Polanski will be held in jail until at least Friday because he needs more time to pay his $4.5m bail.

Justice Ministry spokesperson Folco Galli said Polanski won't be placed under house arrest at his Alpine chalet until the full bail is received.

Gallil said on Tuesday that the payment was expected in the next couple of days, and that all other conditions have been satisfied for Polanski's house arrest with an electronic monitoring bracelet.

The 76-year-old director cannot leave the chalet in Gstaad while Switzerland decides whether to extradite him to the US for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

Polanski was arrested on September 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive an award at a film festival.

Normal

The French consul general in Zurich, Jean-Luc Faure-Tournaire, said after he visited Polanski in jail at Winterthur in northeastern Switzerland on Monday that "everything is going normally", although bail had yet to be posted.

Under bail conditions set by Switzerland's top criminal court last week after Polanski's successful appeal, he was ordered to pay a bond and surrender his identity documents to prevent him leaving Switzerland.

The 76-year-old was nonetheless allowed to stay within the confines of his chalet while wearing an electronic surveillance bracelet, under house arrest pending a ruling on the US extradition request.

Polanski has regularly stayed in Gstaad for several years, although he reportedly bought his traditional style chalet, dubbed "Milky Way", on the outskirts of the quiet upper crust ski resort more recently.

Many journalists, photographers and TV crews were still waiting outside the on Tuesday, watching out for the Oscar winner's arrival as the first winter snow covered the picture postcard mountain village.

- SAPA