Meanwhile, Swiss officials still continue to gauge whether or not they should extradite the infamous director to the United States, which has demanded his return.  The Swiss Justice Ministry tempered the court’s decision by announcing it will keep Polanski in jail for another ten days while it decides whether to appeal his release in Switzerland’s Supreme Court.  Ministry spokesman, Folco Galli, assured the public that a final decision would be made fast.

Polanski was arrested by Swiss police on Sept. 26. Having fled to France in 1978 after pleading guilty to one count of sex with an underage minor. Polanski’s legal team has been jockeying for bail ever since.

Victim Smantha Geimer, now 46, appeared in a Los Angeles Appellate Court to request that all charges against Polanski be dropped.  She said the renewed media attention caused by his most recent arrest has devastated her work and family life.  But after reviewing the case, the L.A. Superior Court ruled it could not be dismissed while Polanski was still a fugitive.

The case was further complicated after the Oscar-winning director settled a civil suit with Geimer, agreeing to pay her $500,000 in 1993.  No one knows if he paid the amount.

With this new offer, Polanski and his attorney’s have requested the Swiss Court reverse the government decision which declines his bail all together. However, they continue to turn down his appeals, stating his flight risk is “still too high.”  Polanski still holds citizenship in both France and Poland.

The amount of the recent offer made to the Swiss Criminal Court was not made public, however the Justice Ministry reportedly stated the offer was turned down because it lacked the cash to ‘guarantee the transaction’ — even though, Polanski included several guarantees he would not flee if he was released.

To add a cherry-on-top, Polanski graciously offered collateral in the form of his Swiss ski resort chalet in Gstaad as part of the deal. Unfortunately, that didn’t hold any water as the offer was ‘not up to par’ with legal requirements. Legal experts in Switzerland state there is little hope he will be released without a strong cash guarantee.

Cut to December 10th, 2009 which is the date the California Second Court of Appeal will hear arguments which involve the 1977 dismissal of Polanski’s sexual assault charges. Polanski’s attorneys want the Los Angeles presiding judge to rule on their dismissal petition, without Mr. Polanski having to be present in court. 

Meanwhile, Polanski’s detention could last for months while he continues to make appeals to the Swiss Criminal and Supreme Courts against his U.S. extradition.

We’ll all have to hold on to our seats to find out how this ride will eventually play out for Mr. Polanski.

Federal officials want to extradite him back to Los Angeles courts to stand before a judge. Seems Polanski was at actor Jack Nicholson’s house one night back in 1977 when he gave Samantha Geimer, (then 13) Quaalude’s and champagne during a photo shoot. 

In the past, there have been several attempts to get Polanski to stand before a judge on these charges, but officials have been unable to  get him to return to California and attend the hearings. He’s just flat out refused. He even missed out on receiving the lauded, Best Directing Oscar for ”The Pianist” in 2003.

Recently, Polanski’s attorney’s have attempted to get the case thrown out of court. However, the Los Angeles judge and prosecuting attorneys simply refuse on grounds it would be a miscarriage of justice to let Polanski go free on such serious charges.

The then 13-year-old girl, Geimer is now 45. She has asked the judge to throw out the case, even filing court papers stating, “I am no longer a 13-year old child. I have dealt with the difficulties of being a victim… every time this case is brought to the attention of the Court, great focus is made of me, my family and others.”  She has since won a suit for the charges against Polanski and has received an undisclosed settlement.

It’s an all together sad story which plays out of decades of heavy issues. In 1969, the then pregnant wife of Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, was savagely murdered in the famous Manson family slayings. Ironically, Tate’s confessed murderer, Susan Atkins, died in prison yesterday. While there is no word at how long extradition may take, it seems the screenplay of Polanski’s life is fraught with tragedy and ‘ghosts-of-the-past-come-haunting.’