In refusing to extradite Roman Polanski to the U.S., Swiss authorities may have saved the U.S. from a trial (and media spectacle) unlikely to provide the justice many feel is long overdue.

The film director allegedly drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl in 1977. The punishment for such a crime should include many years behind bars.

But the mismanaged case was largely over when Polanski fled the United States for Europe. He had pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor, and had served a partial sentence of 42 days in a California state prison. This term, which apparently included a psychiatric examination ordered by the judge, was part of a full sentence that apparently amounted to only 90 days.

Instead of serving the balance, Polanski fled when the opportunity arose, and he has remained a fugitive ever since. By eluding American justice, he has ensured that his case file may remain open forever. But after 33 years, prosecutors’ search for justice can never achieve the kind of sentence that many commentators demand.

Although Polanski’s crimes in 1977 seem clear and egregious, many of the legal details are murky. The Swiss authorities, complaining that they were denied details on the strange sentencing arrangement, declined to extradite the film director. On such a matter, any civil authority would insist on full details. For reasons that aren’t clear from media accounts, the information was not provided.

Even if Polanski had been delivered to a California courtroom, any review would have faced serious difficulties arising from the 1977 case, including the existing 90-day sentence, and allegations of judicial misconduct.

Polanski now is free to travel in Switzerland and his native France and Poland, a much more constricted range than he had before the U.S. extradition attempt. The U.S. Justice Dept. has vowed to continue pursuing him.

The director is known for a prolific career that includes the films “Chinatown” and “Rosemary’s Baby.” Still actively working, his latest film, “The Ghost Writer,” was released to acclaim earlier this year. Even at 76, his productive days may not be over.

Revisiting his past in a Los Angeles courtroom would not have brought the retribution he is owed for assaulting an innocent girl. And the victim herself, now 39, says she hopes the Swiss decision puts the matter to rest. The prosecutors and many others, however, are still hoping for another plot twist in the dark and dramatic life of Roman Polanski.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.