Famed French filmmaker Polanski declared a 'free man'

Controversial French filmmaker Roman Polanski was declared a "free man" as Swiss authorities today rejected the US request to extradite him on charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

"The Franco-Polish filmmaker will not be extradited to the United States and the restrictions on his liberty have been lifted," Swiss justice minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf announced at a press conference in the Swiss capital Bern, BBC reported.

The Swiss announcement virtually means that the Oscar-winning director of 'The Pianist' is free man. Polanski, 76, has been under house arrest in his chalet since December 2009 pending the decision on a US warrant.

The warrant originally confined the director to prison before being bailed out on $4.5 million.    

The maker of classics like 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Macbeth', during his confinement in the chalet, had to face the ignonimity of being fitted with an electronic tracer bracelet.

The charges against Polanski flow from allegations that he plied a teenage girl named Samantha Geimer with champagne and drugs during a photo-shoot 34 years ago at the home of his actor friend Jack Nicholson before raping her.

The film director, won an Oscar for his 2002 film 'The Pianist', but was unable to collect the award because of his fugitive status.

Meanwhile, Polanski's lawyer hailed Swiss authorities today for rejecting a US request to extradite the director on child sex charges, and hoped he would one day return to the United States.

"I pay tribute to Swiss justice, its judicial analysis is very correct," French lawyer Georges Kiejman told AFP after Swiss justice minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf announced Polanski would not be extradited and could walk free.

"I am of course very happy and very moved, both as Roman Polanski's friend and because I think he has undergone a
long ordeal," Kiejman said.

"I am glad because he will be able to return to France and will be free to see his son, his daughter and his wife (the actress) Emmanuelle Seigner, whom I pay tribute to because she has shown great courage during this whole period."

"I think the misunderstanding with the American authorities will be easier to resolve and I hope that he will one day be able to return to the United States," Kiejman said.

One of Polanski's leading supporters in the case, the French writer-philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy who had launched a petition in his support, told AFP he was "mad with joy" at the decision.

"I just spoke to him. He feels the same as the millions of citizens who supported him," Levy said. "He feels that justice has been done."