Polanski may face months of jail time during extradition process

Reporting from Zurich, Switzerland - Gone are the red carpet and the luxury accommodations, at least for a while. Film director Roman Polanski will probably remain in prison for several months as he fights deportation to the U.S. in a 3-decade-old sexual assault case.
His Swiss attorney, one of the country's top criminal lawyers, filed a request in court Tuesday that Polanski be set free while his extradition case winds its way through the judicial system.

But such releases are rare for nonresidents in Switzerland, who are generally deemed to be flight risks. And given the lengthy extradition and appeals process, Polanski faces jail time far in excess of the 42 days he already served in Los Angeles back when the charges against him arose.

"We are talking about three, four months easily," said Peter Cosandey, a former prosecutor here with extensive experience in extradition cases. "If he's not released on bail as requested by his lawyers, then he has to remain in prison."