Swiss Authorities Tipped Off US To Roman Polanski Visit

First Published: October 20, 2009 8:11 PM EDT Credit: Getty Images

GENEVA, Switzerland -- Caption Director Roman Polanski attends Che Tempo Che Fa TV Show held at RAI Studios on November 23, 2008 in Milan, ItalyNewly released documents show that Swiss authorities set in motion the arrest of fugitive director Roman Polanski.

A series of e-mails obtained by The Associated Press show that the Swiss tipped off their U.S. counterparts about Polanski’s imminent arrival at a Zurich film festival.

The Sept. 22 tip culminated four days later with Polanski’s arrest.

U.S. authorities had declined to say how they learned of Polanski’s trip to Zurich, but a public records request shows the information came from the Swiss Federal Office of Justice.

The new details again raise the question of why Switzerland decided to go after Polanski now, even though the 76-year-old director was a frequent visitor to that nation.

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