LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. officials should not try to extradite Roman Polanski from Switzerland to the United States, the fugitive French-Polish director's lawyers say.
Attorneys representing Polanski, 76, met with U.S. Justice Department officials to lobby for an end to their efforts to bring the director back to the United States to face sentencing for his conviction 32 years ago on child-sex charges, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Polanski is being held by Swiss authorities until a ruling is made on the U.S. request for his return.
Polanski's attorneys said in a letter filed in appellate court this week that their client has "little chance of receiving a fair hearing or disposition in California should he be returned."
Since being arrested in Switzerland Sept. 26, Polanski has been the focus of major media attention for his 1978 conviction on charges of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. Polanski fled the United States before he could be sentenced for raping and sodomizing the girl.
