Switerland has decided not to extradite Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski to the US to face sentencing for having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
Swiss justice minister Eveline Widmer-Schlump confirmed the decision this afternoon.
"The reason for the decision lies in the fact that it was not possible to exclude with the necessary certainty a fault in the US extraditionary request," the Swiss Justice Ministry said in a statement.
Today's announcement follows months of uncertainty over whether Polanski would have to return to the United States after having been arrested in Zurich last year.
After a short period in jail, he was put under house arrest at his chalet in luxury ski resort Gstaad while Swiss officials awaited the outcome of US legal proceedings.
The 76-year-old director, who holds dual French and Polish citizenship, was arrested at the request of the United States when he flew into Switzerland on September 26th last to receive a lifetime achievement prize at a film festival.
Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with the girl but fled the United States on the eve of his 1978 sentencing because he believed a judge might overrule his plea and put him in jail for 50 years.
Polanski has lived as a fugitive in Europe ever since, facing the prospect of arrest the moment he set foot back on US soil while continuing his film career outside Hollywood.
Reuters