To this day, Roman Polanski has not returned to the United States because he faces a trial there. In 1977, the star director is said to have raped a girl and fled to France before the sentence was passed. Now contradictions about a deal could be clarified, because the statements should be released.
In the decades-ago rape case involving star director Roman Polanski, the US public prosecutor wants to release statements that have been kept secret until now. It was "in the interest of the judiciary to agree to the disclosure of these transcripts," said the responsible prosecutor George Gascon in Los Angeles. According to Polanski, the documents should prove that the US judiciary did not stick to a deal made with him at the time.
The Frenchman with Polish roots is accused of drugging and raping then 13-year-old Samantha Geimer in Los Angeles in 1977. He was initially accused of rape, but later he was accused of having sex with a minor as part of a deal with Polanski. The filmmaker, in turn, pleaded guilty and, under an agreement with prosecutors, was jailed for 42 days to undergo psychiatric testing.
But then, according to Polanski's lawyers, the judge dropped the deal and wanted to demand a much longer prison sentence for the director. Polanski then fled to France before the sentence was handed down and has not returned to the United States since. He is still threatened with a trial in the USA.
The transcripts, which are now to be made public, are statements by the then US Attorney Roger Gunson, who worked on the case in 1977. Prosecutor Gascon said that for years the company's own department had resisted the publication of the documents. However, the victim and the public have "a right" to this information.
Polanski's lawyers had repeatedly called for disclosure to no avail. According to Gascon, Polanski applied for clearance "several years ago" to allow "investigations into alleged judicial misconduct". Gascon described the circumstances under which Polanski was initially treated by prosecutors as "extraordinary". His office will advocate "accountability for everyone in the justice system."
According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, the most recent request for release of the transcripts did not come from Polanski, but from two journalists. Samantha Geimer had also called for disclosure.
