According to a report from the BBC: “A Swiss court has accepted filmmaker Roman Polanski’s plea to be freed on bail from a Swiss jail where he is being held for a US child sex case.” The Swiss Justice Ministry is still trying to decide whether it will appeal.
Polanski will be released on a bond payment of 4.5 million Swiss francs. His extradition to the US is still pending, but the 76-year-old fugitive filmmaker is no longer considered a flight risk because of his high bail, electronically monitored house arrest, and lack of travel documents. Oh, and his family values. “As a responsible family father and with regard to his advanced age, the value of financial security for his family has a greater meaning than for a relatively younger person,” presiding Judge Cornelia Cova wrote in the decision.
On a related side note, it was also announced today that an oversized print of the nude photo of Polanski and Sharon Tate that accompanies this post is heading for the Christie’s auction block. It will go on sale in New York on December 7, and is expected to go for up to $12,000 — about .03% of his bail.