Justice Department says it kept Los Angeles DA’s office fully informed in Roman Polanski case
By Pete Yost, APThursday, July 15, 2010
Justice: Los Angeles DA informed in Polanski case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday that the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office approved the denial of a Swiss request for information in the Roman Polanski case, which Swiss officials say lead to the fugitive filmmaker’s release.
The Justice department said that it kept the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office fully informed of all requests from Swiss authorities regarding the effort to have Polanski extradited to the United States.
The department added that the DA’s office provided input and “approved all responses from the U.S. government to Swiss authorities on this matter,” including one rejecting a request to turn over sealed testimony that proved pivotal in Switzerland’s decision to free Polanski.
“The Department of Justice and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office worked in close coordination on this important extradition request,” Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said in an e-email.
The Swiss government says it asked the Justice Department to release sealed transcripts in the Polanski case just days before a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles told a judge that the Swiss did not request that information.
