As Roman Polanki’s extradition by Switzerland to California for having sex with 13-year-old grows near, the famed director may receive a Get Out of Jail (not so free) Card.

By Jeffrey Jolson

Bail jumper and famed director Polanski makes bail again

ZURICH (Hollywood Today) 11/25/09 – “Dog” the Bounty Hunter may have to learn a little French and change his name to “Le Chien.”

Convicted sex with a child offender and bail-jumper, Roman Polanski, finally arrested in Zurich after 32 years and headed for extradition to Los Angeles, has cut a deal with a Swiss court to make bail there.

The international fugitive would make bail on a negotiated $4.5 million, though the Oscar-winning director (“The Pianist”) would perhaps skedaddle back to France, who has never considered extradition to the U.S. as they consider him an adopted cultural hero.

Polanski will have to pay cash for whatever percentage agreed on with his bailbondsman, in the U.S. about 10 percent. He would then move to a Swiss chalet under house arrest while the Swiss decides if it will appeal the bail decision to their Supreme Court. They have 10 days to do so.

Meanwhile, even this reporter knows of Swiss-French border crossings that are sleepy and under-manned, especially in the mountain regions — and it is now ski season with revelers skipping back and forth across the border to close-by slopes and clubs in the Alps. I have been waved through repeatedly without even a passport check, especially when in a nice car.

Polanski, considered a “high flight risk” by the Swiss Criminal Court, could even ski or snow-mobile from Switzerland into his safety of France, far from the border checks. Now there’s a scenario fit for a Polanski film, or James Bond flick – and Le Chien would have to spring into action.

U.S. extradition efforts continue unabated, and the Swiss consider the high bail a sufficient deterrent.

Yet the writer-director (“Chinatown,” “Rosemary’s Baby”) has plenty of cash and property.

The Swiss government said the bail decision does not affect their ongoing assessment of whether it should extradite Polanski to the U.S. for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl at Jack Nicholson’s house. He skipped bail, taking a midnight flight out of L.A. to Paris after being convicted and awaiting the sentencing phase.

Polanski once said “Normal love isn’t interesting. I assure you that it’s incredibly boring.” Bet he’s not bored now for his night of not-so-normal love.